


To Cure A Heichou

by MoonlightSakura



Series: To Love A Heichou [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU/Canon-Divergence (Kinda), Doctor!Eren is badass, How do I tag?, It's about a hormonal teen okay?, Levi talks to himself, Levi's foul mouth, M/M, Sexual themes (sorta), Slash(Obviously), doctor!eren, first fic on here, mature!Eren, references to violence, sick!Levi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-08-11 07:48:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7882765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlightSakura/pseuds/MoonlightSakura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when you put Eren Jaeger in charge of a sick and moody Levi? Nothing good, probably. Or maybe, just maybe, something great and unexpected may happen and feelings re finally brought to light. Or it could just be the fever talking, who knows?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Levi, denial does not solve anything, ever.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello My Lovelies! So, this is my first fic on here, I wrote this story on Fanfiction.net, and I got some great feedback, but I'm hoping to get more from a new set of eyes, since I am still so new to writing. I currently only have this story and another one shot that somewhat goes with one another, and I have a sequel in the works, I just want to get a fresh set of people to take a look and hopefully gave me some more feedback, critique anything really. I'd really appreciate any help you can give me.
> 
> Warning(s): AU/Canon Divergence- its sorta the same, sorta not, I'll explain more in the second story regarding the changes that I've made to the plot and whatnot of the actual show, this story is mostly about the beginning of feelings and such, Slash/Yaoi/MalexMale-don't like, don't read, Cussing-It's Levi, References to violence, Sexual themes, Spoilers, OOC-ness- I tried okay?
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing, don't know if I need this right here, but I don't own anything, and it hurts, it hurts so much.

Locks of molten cocoa clashed against dancing blades of green, fingers cloaked in golden skin threaded through the silk strands, palm facing upwards as if to grasp the blazing star above. A set of eyes stared upwards, the emotion driven multicolored irises having decided upon a gleaming turquoise due to the contentment of simply lying in the sun. The young male let out a soft sigh at the gentle breeze that swept over his bare torso. 

He had been astounded, to say the least, when Petra had brought him out of his nightmare infested slumber that morning. He had just fallen into a somewhat peaceful state when the girl had unlocked his cell door to rouse him from bed, only to warn him that the Corporal had called for a day of rest, and if he wanted to relax and not be experimented on, it was best to not go to breakfast, and avoid Hanji at all costs. Needless to say, Eren was extremely grateful.

The brunette giggled slightly to himself when he recalled Petra's expression as he fell to his knees and continuously bowed to her, as though worshipping a goddess.

"EREN!" Apparently, the kind woman's warning did not do much. How Hanji had found him deep in the forest in only a half hour's time, he will never know. 

Groaning in a cross between annoyance and fatigue, the teen hauled himself up into a seating position just as the Squad Leader burst through various forms of vegetation. He noted offhandedly that he should trim that before the Corporal has a fit.

"Yes, sir." He stood and saluted the over excited scientist charging forward before skidding to stop inches away from the Shifter.

"I've been looking everywhere for you! I needed you to help me with Levi, but then I remembered that you seem to be able to hear anything and yet you didn't hear me call for you, and so I was wondering if maybe you have heightened senses, and if maybe that was linked to your shifting abilities, and if maybe other titans have them to and that's why they can find humans so easily and-" 

"Hanji-san!" Eren cut off the researcher's ramblings, trying to get back to the first topic that had been breached, all the while sitting dumbfounded at the amount of words said in one breath. 

"Huh?" The superior stopped and blinked wide eyes at the teen for a few moments, as though it could not be understood that Eren had just stopped what could be very important theory development.

"You mentioned something about the Corporal?" The boy had to restrain himself from growling. He had one day to relax, after having almost been sent to his death several times within the past week, yet the semi-psychotic scientist interrupted his peace, and couldn't even focus on the reason why.

"Oh, right! You're father was a doctor, correct? Well, Levi is sick, probably from training out in the rain for hours on end, and he needs someone to help take care of him, but we don't have a doctor with us, and he won't let me anywhere near him to diagnose him properly so, could you help? I figure you may know a few things, hmm?" At this point the Squad Leader has leaned in much too close for Eren's liking and would say damn near anything to get out of the situation.

"U-uh, yeah, s-sure."

"Great! Come with me!" With that the teen was dragged off towards the castle where the Levi Squad currently resided, all the while having a mental breakdown after realizing what he had just agreed to.

 

To say the Corporal was sick was a severe understatement, well, at least to anyone who actually knew the stoic man. His usual moonlight soaked skin was slightly flushed, as though someone had lightly dusted the pale cheeks with ground up rose petals. Eyes that were lit with a cold fire, unrecognizable to most, were now hollow and glazed. The absence of the cravat was unnerving, though less so than the rumpled and sweat soaked state of the once clean and crisp dress shirt. 

Yeah, he was sick, there was not a single doubt in Eren's mind once he took in his superior's appearance. 

"Levi seems to have a fever, a cough, as well as sinus troubles, but I can't say for certain since he won't let me anywhere near him to check properly, and no one else has medical background sufficient enough for me to diagnose him based on their observations." Hanji's ramblings brought the teen out of his stupor, a blush decorating his features when he realized he'd been caught staring.

"You're damn right I won't, Shitty-Glasses. You'd just experiment on me." The raven's voice was rougher than normal, setting off warning bells in the teen's mind.

"That's why I brought Eren! His father was a doctor so I figured he'd be able to help! So what do you say, my Little Titan?" Hanji whirled to face said Shifter, who had already gone into his doctor mindset, courtesy of the many lessons from his father.

"Hold on, just because the kid's old man was a doctor, what makes you think that little shit can do anything?" The skepticism was understandable, but Eren, or rather his temper, was not keen on his Heichou's tone.

"You have the flu." The response was swift, coated with irritation and was most definitely a death sentence had it been any other day.

"How do you know?" Hanji looked excited, even more so than usual.

"Heichou's face is flushed, his voice is hoarse, which indicates both a sore throat and coughing, and you can hear the congestion when he speaks. He is lying in bed and has hardly moved so I assume it's due to body aches, and you are shivering." The teen could also hear that his heartbeat was faster than normal and his scent was off, but he really did not want to give Hanji any reason to do more experiments regarding his heightened senses.

Both officers stared at him for few moments in silence, and he sincerely hoped the reason was that they were stunned.

"Hn, not bad brat." Levi hummed slightly, staring at the boy until he began to fidget under his scrutiny.

"Well, Father had some rather stubborn patients so he had to learn how to read their symptoms, without them saying anything." That was the wrong thing to say. The glare he was given could have killed him then and there if it weren't for the misty clouds coating the pupils. 

"You really want to die, don't you brat?"

"No, sir!" The brunette straightened immediately, " I apologize for overstepping my bounds."

A small chuckle brought his attention back to the other occupant of the room, who was staring at the exchange in amusement.

"Well, that settles that! Eren, you will be taking care of Levi for the time being, and Levi, you will stop being stubborn and let Eren help or else I will send Erwin down here, and he will send you to see a doctor." With that parting comment, the eccentric pivoted and bounced out of the room, leaving the two to a tense and awkward silence.

"Get out." 

"Huh?" The boy cocked his head to the side, not fully understanding the statement.

"Are you deaf, brat? I said to get the hell out of here. I don't need some little piece of shit taking care of me like I'm a child." Silver iced over until literal shivers ran down the younger's spine, however, Eren was never one to stand down.

"Gomen, Heichou, but you're really sick and if you don't take care of it now, it will only get worse. Besides, Hanji-san said to take care of you, and I am not going to disobey the one who is responsible for dissecting me every other day." The very thought of what the scientist could, and would, do was enough to have the strongest of men heading for the hills.

"Apparently you want to be punished for disobeying orders."

"You are hardly in any condition to be giving orders, sir, much less getting out of bed to kick my ass." The older male seemed to want nothing more than to beat the boy to a bloody pulp for his snarky comment, however in the mind of the stubborn adolescent, that could wait until his Corporal was well. "Heichou, please allow me to take care of you today, so you can get better, then I will accept any punishment you see fit." 

It was unknown how the gleaming verdant eyes could go from fiery and passionate to gentle and pleading within and instant, but no matter the reason, Levi still seemed unable to resist.

"Fine, but if you fuck up, you will regret it. You better not do anything stupid, Jaeger." Said Shifter lit up at the reluctant acceptance of his help.

"No worries, Corporal! I've taken care of people before! I'm going to go get a few things, I'll be right back, and please, stay in bed." With that, the brunette whirled and disappeared out of the room.

"Tch, fucking kid is going to be the death of me." 

 

When it came to the Survey Corps, specifically the Special Operations Squad, most eventually learn to simply look the other way when something odd occurs. Despite this lesson, many soldiers simply froze for a few moments when their eyes caught sight of the rough and overly-energetic Eren Jaeger gently cradling various plants on the outskirts of the forest, humming softly to himself and lost within his own world.

Once he filled his small basket with the herbs he had been fortunate enough to find, the teen steadily made his way to the castle kitchens, where he proceeded to crush, mince, and boil the small bits of ginger he collected, along with the licorice root he managed to grab from Sasha's food stash. After he gathered the remaining chunks of herbs, the soldier added small droplets of honey-also stolen from Sasha- to the liquid. 

"Hello Eren, what are you making?" The male turned to face the same woman who had woken him that morning.

"Oh, hey, Petra-san, I was making an herbal tea for the Corporal." 

“Oooh, it smells really good, but, why are you making tea for Levi-Heichou? He doesn't trust anyone with his tea." If Eren didn't know any better, he would think the young female was disappointed and the slightest bit jealous.

"Eh, well, he doesn't really have the strength to say otherwise so..." At the confused and worried look he was given, the Shifter hurried to explain, "No, it's just, Heichou is a bit sick and he won't let Hanji-san near him." Again he was given a confused look.

"Then why are you looking after him?" Petra had an edge to her voice that ensured danger if Eren didn't elaborate quickly.

"Er, my Father was a doctor and he taught me a few things when I was young, so I know a little bit on how to take care of the sick." His voice wavered under the sharp gaze the female had taken on. It was no secret that the members of the Levi Squad were very protective of one another, especially their Corporal, however, Eren couldn't help the quick jolt of pain within his chest at the suspicion. He had hoped he had proven himself by now, what with him trusting them to take down the Female Titan without him transforming. Apparently he was wrong.

"Alright then, let me know if you need anything. I'll stop by to check on Levi-Heichou later!" She was so excited, Eren found it difficult to deny young girl, but he had no choice.

"Eh, that might not be such a good idea, Petra-san. Heichou is contagious right now and it would be really bad if you or anyone else got sick." He prayed she would understand his reasoning.

"I suppose you're right, but won't you get sick if you take care of him all day?"

"I doubt it. I've always had a strong immune system, that's why I was allowed to learn how to help others, because most couldn't. Besides, I've been around a lot of people with the flu, so I built up a little tolerance towards it, er, well the bacteria anyway, since the flu isn’t exactly the same each time." 

"Alright, I guess that makes sense, but are you sure you don't need help with anything?" Petra had the same expression as a puppy that was just scolded, and Eren found himself melting at the sight. He glanced around to find something to cheer her up, and smiled when his gaze landed on the various bowls he needed to take all the way to the Corporal's bedroom.

 

Levi was not happy. Well, he never was really, but he was more annoyed than usual. Everything was as it should have been until he woke up that morning to the sound of that stupid scientist pounding on his door, rambling on about some new experiment he couldn't care less about. Not that the particular scenario wasn't normal, no it was the pulsating just behind his eyes and the painful itch deep within his throat that pissed him off. Then the damn titan crazed soldier ran off only to drag that damn brat into his nice, clean room. Kid was filthy, had flower petals in his hair, and his clothes were tousled.

Although, the kid looked less ugly with the pink petals settled upon his chocolate locks, his fiery eyes wide with worry, the light from the window making them shine a shade of green so expressive and beautiful... damn it.

There he went again, those moronic thoughts making themselves known. Levi blamed the fever, that may or may not exist considering his pride was involved.

Speaking of the shithead, a timid knock came at the door, followed by Eren softly pushing the door open. He took a quick look inside to see if the man had obeyed his instructions, and was surprised to see him sitting right where the brunette left him.

What the hell, he looks like a fucking puppy, and for what, because I did what he said? Well, if he gets so damn excited over me listening, maybe I should do it more often. He does have some interesting thoughts and that look is sort of cute...DAMN IT!

Levi once more blamed the fever that possibly existed.

 

Eren smiled when he saw the Corporal had done as he asked. He had tried to accomplish all that he wished as quickly as possible to ensure the hard headed man wouldn't attempt to get out of bed and worsen his condition.

"Levi-Heichou, how are you feeling?" Petra questioned, as she hovered just outside the bedroom. Eren had asked her to follow him with the rest of the supplies, as he could not carry everything on his own, and he wanted to return to the raven as soon as possible, however he made it clear she should not enter the room, and would only pass the boy the tray she carried.

Levi glowered at the girl, who merely smiled gently at him in response. He then took notice of the various trays the boy had set upon the small desk in the corner of the room.

"What the fuck is that?" 

"Supplies that will help," At the rare glimpse of confusion the boy continued, pointing to the bowls and containers, "Herbal tea, garlic broth-don't look at me like that, it tastes good- chilled rags, among other things." 

Levi hummed in acknowledgement, eyeing the teacup and pot. The brunette gave a small chuckle at the look and poured his superior a cup of the herbal mixture. 

"Alright, I'm going to take my leave now, if you don't mind. If either of you need anything, just let me know. I hope you feel better, sir." Petra gave a quick salute before making her way down the hall and out of sight. 

"Here, Heichou, please take a sip then lie down." Eren handed the man the small porcelain cup before placing a bowl and rag on the bedside table. 

"Hn," Levi allowed himself a taste of the liquid, "Not bad, brat. What is this anyway?" 

"It's a tea blend that my mother used to make for my fathers' patients." He smiled softly to himself at the memory of his family.

"I thought your Father was the doctor?" It was odd for the Corporal to be so curious, but Eren indulged him nonetheless.

"He was, but my mother was something of a doctor in her own right. She would assist my father as he needed, comforted patients, and helped to brew teas and medicines. She knew quite a bit about plants and their uses, and consulted father on what would be best for certain remedies. She even made some mixtures that combined various flowers for her own patients to help them relax." 

"She had her own patients?" 

"Sorta, she was more of a midwife. She took care of pregnant women, helped them through birth, and would help with their children afterwards so the women could rest a bit." Having finished his tea, Levi hummed once more while setting his cup down, seemingly content now that his curiosity was sated.

Eren reached out with the cooled cloth he had sitting in the bowl and gently dabbed the raven's forehead as he laid back down, before resting it upon the man's brow.

“This will help to cool your fever and will need to be changed once it gets to room temperature. Normally a chilled bath would be better but seeing as you are in a bit of pain the cold water won’t provide much help for the sore muscles, and moving., moving isn’t such a great idea either.” 

“You are very perceptive.” The man’s voice held a slight undertone of suspicion, as though Eren had been hiding something very important. 

“Not really, only when it comes to helping the people I care about,” The boy froze for a few moments as if he had just realized the implications of what he had said, “ Eh, no, w-what I m-mean, well, uh, I-I meant to say, uh...I’m just making it worse aren’t I?” 

Levi snickered inwardly at the rising blush on the boy’s cheeks as he hung his head in defeat. His brat really was amusing, wait his brat, where did that come from? Since when was that stupid kid his?

Eren, completely oblivious to his superior’s inner turmoil, continued to will away the heat in his face before his ears started to steam. The last thing anyone needed was for the Corporal to become tense because he couldn’t trust the boy to keep his cool and, you know, not shift into a fifteen meter carnivore. 

The brunette cleared his throat softly to break the tension, which drew the man’s attention to the boy’s movements. Steel eyes followed the Shifter’s hands as he placed a multitude of herbs in a bowl of steaming water, which he placed on the bedside table. 

“Now what are you doing?” Despite the fierce tone, Eren sensed the genuine curiosity within the man’s question.

“The steam helps to clear the nasal pathways and the thyme,” He gestured toward the long green stems and small white flowers, “Helps to do so as well, basically combining two remedies in one.” 

Levi nodded in understanding. 

“Well, I think that’s it for now, you should get some rest, Corporal. It’s the fastest way to get better. I’ll be back to check on you later, as well as bring you some more tea. For now, I would appreciate it if you would try to eat a bit of the broth before you rest, it would do wonders for you to have something in your stomach.” The younger soldier brought over the bowl of steaming yellow liquid. Had Levi been his normal self he would have made some vulgar remark in regards to the coloring, however something made him reconsider after taking one look at that damn puppy face Jaeger was sporting.

“Fine.” He grabbed the bowl and sat up to stare down into the broth, the scent, surprisingly enough considering that morning he couldn’t smell a damn thing, was terrible. The raven’s nose scrunched and brow pinched as the sharp stench penetrated his nostrils. He was not looking forward to the taste, but with the smile Eren shot him before he practically bounced out of the room, Levi found himself tipping the rim to meet his lips.


	2. I (Don't) Appreciate The Sentiment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi is stubborn, but that's normal, being sick however, is not, and a certain scientist is well aware of this fact.  
> Uh, warnings, none I think, Levi's mouth, etc.  
> I don't own Attack on Titan, do I have to put this on here? I don't know if I do but I will anyway just in case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello My Lovelies, sorry it's been a while since I updated, I've been going back through making sure there wasn't anything I wanted to change. Let me know how you guys like this chapter, I know it's short, but the next chapter is longer and will be posted shortly after this one so...yeah. Please give me some feedback if you can, I really, really appreciate it.

Despite his best efforts, Levi could not find it within himself to insult his subordinate's cooking skills. The boy’s childish innocence aside, the kid was actually a damn good cook, which was odd considering he destroyed everything he touched but, no matter. 

The raven sighed in contentment as he curled slightly into his blankets, then growled in annoyance. He was not behaving like a child, he was already being treated as one just because he was sick, there was no way in hell he was going to give anyone more reason to do so. No, he was not curling into his soft, warm blankets just because he felt a bit cooler, his stomach was pleasantly filled (which was rare due to insufficient funds; Levi often went a bit on the hungry side), and the nice bit of broth that lingered on his tongue provided a bit of comfort.

That was not reason whatsoever, nope, not a chance. 

The man attempted to unfurl himself from the cocoon, only to find he was in too much pain, and much too comfortable to move for the sake of his pride. So long as no one saw him it would be fine.

“Levi? Hanji said you were sick so I came down to check on you.” Erwin’s voice accompanied the knock at the door.

Well then, so much for that, but a man can dream, just not Levi.

“Shorty!” The door had bust open to reveal a tall blonde standing stoically, his fist still raised to knock, and an over active brunette that lunged for the bed, only to be grabbed by the collar and violently yanked backwards.

“Hanji, Levi needs his rest, please refrain from startling the man.” 

 

“I just wanted to check on him!” The scientist squirmed in the man’s grip, whining like a small child.

 

“The fuck you want?” Both occupants of the doorway looked to the small male glaring at them from the bed. Hanji squealed once more and Erwin had the decency to look somewhat apologetic. 

 

“No need to be rude. We just wanted to see how you were feeling.” The blonde took a few steps forward into the room, glancing around at the various supplies settled upon each bit of table space. 

 

“You knew how I was feeling this morning and it has only been about an hour since Shitty Glasses left, how in the hell could I feel better already?” Levi growled. He did not appreciate the intrusion, his was enjoying his contentment.

“Are you? Feeling better, that is?” 

“That’s beside the point.” Levi grunted and turned away from the huge eyebrow raised in his direction. He most certainly did not want to see the giant’s smug look.

“We just wanted to see if my Little Titan was helping!” Hanji bounced around the room before settling on the floor next to the Corporal.

“The brat did...surprisingly well.” Grey eyes glanced out the window as their owner attempted to hide the red tint to his cheeks and ignore the odd fluttering in his stomach.

“Hmm, a being made for killing, is also a healer. Such an odd combination.” Erwin’s remark, while understandably curious, sparked a significant amount of anger in the raven. 

“He isn’t the killer.” Both the blonde and brunette glanced at him startled, partially due to the growl low in his throat, and the fact that he just defended the new recruit. 

“I know that Levi, it’s his titan form tha-”

“No! It’s that fucking poison he had no choice in taking that turns him into a titan and our inability to help him control it.” The pure rage behind his words frightened even himself, but the rash behavior was more worrisome than anything. Honestly, he just cut off Erwin. No one does that unless they have a death wish. The cold and calculating gaze was a highly effective intimidation factor that was capable of bringing any man to his knees. Levi was no exception.

 

“Is there something bothering you, Corporal?” The stern look would make any lesser man flinch, yet the raven couldn’t help but to draw back just slightly. 

 

“I don’t know, dammit. One minute I’m fucking fine and the next, as soon as that damned Eren fucking Jaeger comes into the picture I suddenly have absolutely no control over myself whatsoever. It’s like I’m experiencing puberty all over again!”

 

“BWAHAHA!” The scientist toppled onto the floor in a heap of shuddering clothing, the only sound being the occasional sharp burst of laughter. Even Eyebrows looked amused, the icy glare melting into something warm and comforting, at least to those not on the receiving end. To others, namely Levi, it was an overconfident, amused smirk.

 

“Just what is so fucking funny?” 

 

“Strange, I was just about to ask the same thing.” The guffawing brunette tensed before lunging toward the Shifter as he stepped into the room, jumping onto his back and holding tight, not unlike a small child. 

 

“My Little TITAN!” Hanji squeaked and held onto the boy tighter.

 

“Hanji-san, please remove yourself from my person.” Eren sighed and continued his journey into the room, accomplishing a feat no one had yet to: Dealing with a Hanji without spilling a drop of tea.

 

“Commander, I understand I have no right to tell you what to do, but seeing as I am currently Heichou’s caregiver, I must insist you prevent Hanji-san from entering this room. You may want to stay clear yourself as well, sir. We wouldn’t want you to fall ill.” 

 

Erwin’s expression once more became one of intrigue as he studied Eren’s ‘doctor’ persona. 

 

“Thank you for drinking the broth, Heichou. I brought you some more tea.” The boy removed the bowl from the table only to replace it with another steaming teacup. 

 

“Hn.” Levi had to use every ounce of willpower to keep himself from grinning in excitement at the cup. He did enjoy the first cup, afterall.

 

“Well, we will be taking our leave now. I see Levi is in good hands, let me know if he is being stubborn, but I doubt that will be an issue.” The blonde smiled knowingly, though what about, Levi had no idea, and didn’t want to.

 

“Wah! I wanna stay!” Hanji clung to the bedpost as though her life depended on it, “I want to watch Eren! I mean, maybe his instincts as a Titan make him more motherly and will take care of Levi!”

 

“Tch, Shitty Glasses, you just want to experiment on me while I sleep.” Levi murmured, and couldn’t help but to shiver at the intense look in the scientist’s eye.

 

“No Hanji, Levi needs his rest. Let’s leave them alone, come along.” Erwin managed to pry the brunette from the bedpost and proceeded to throw the body over his shoulder, smile kindly at the two, and walk out the door.

 

“Hanji-san is…”

 

“I know.” The two men stared out the doorway long after the high pitched wails of despair faded into the distance.


	3. Well Done Levi, Well Done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi is stubborn. Also sibling bonding time, yay!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my Lovelies, sorry it took a while for the update, but it didn't seem like too many of your were enjoying this so I kinda put it on the back burner for a while, since I had originally wanted to make a few adjustments to the story, but, oh well, I'm just gonna make it a series and do more with it that way I suppose. Anyway, again, any comments and critiques would be greatly appreciated!

“Might I ask why you are giving me wet socks? More importantly, why the fuck are you dropping water all over my floor?” The Raven narrowed his eyes, first at the boy standing before him, then turning his acidic gaze to the offending item in said boy’s hands.

“I want you to wear them.” 

Eren almost-almost- laughed at the reaction from his superior. Levi’s eyes shot up to his own, only to stare directly at him as though the brunette was the biggest moron on the face of the planet. 

“Kid, I’m starting to think you are crossing into the territory of Hanji level crazy.” Eren snickered slightly at that.

“Hey, I have my own level of crazy! And I am nowhere near as far gone as her. I don’t run head first for titans!” Levi raised an eyebrow at him, “Er, w-well, I don’t try to hug them at least.” The boy muttered, looking away in an attempt to will away the red creeping up his neck.

“Fuck it, give me the damn socks.” 

“Really?!” The man rolled his eyes at the excitement and held out his hand.

“Don’t get so excited, just hand me the socks.” The Shifter giggled, before turning back to the table to grab the glass of semi-cloudy water, completely unaware of his superior staring at him. 

It’s been so long since I heard a laugh like that. Genuine laughter is so rare now days.

“Here Heichou, you don’t have to drink it, just gargle it in the back of your throat!” Eren smiled brightly at the man, instantly bringing him out of his more depressed thoughts.

“Why?” The Corporal looked at the glass with suspicion. 

“Still don’t trust me, huh?” The boy gave a small, bitter laugh as he mumbled of his breath. However, Levi was still able to catch the comment, but the hurt gleam within the brilliant turquoise gaze tugged on a part of his heart that he had thought no longer existed. 

The brunette cleared his throat, “It’s just a bit of salt water, sir. It’ll help break down some of that congestion and let you sleep easier.” 

The pain is gone, how is it gone already? It can’t be, that kid is dominated by emotions, so, why can’t I see it?

Just how much does he hide behind that smile? 

Levi titled the glass back to swirl the strange concoction on the back of his tongue. He held back a grimace at the taste before emptying the contents of his mouth back into the container. His gaze then turned to his charge, ignoring his revulsion in favor of watching the boy set up what looked to be a makeshift stove top. The ‘doctor’ had lit a candle underneath a metal tray that held itself upright, upon which he placed a bowl filled with water from the tea kettle. He placed a variety of flowers into the steaming liquid, many of which were a soft shade of purple.

“It’s a method my mother would use, mostly with the young women she would assist. The scents of particular herbs and flowers have certain properties to which the body reacts. For instance the ones I am using are lavender and rosemary, they both help to calm the body. However, rosemary helps to clear sinuses, while the lavender helps to calm the muscles and is used mostly with the sick.” 

“You’re just full of surprises aren’t you?” The man stared bewildered at the young soldier, not even bothering to keep his expression in check.

“I try.” The man’s lips twitched upward at the sheepish grin and the dusting of pink on the tan skin. 

“Alright, that’s it for now, Heichou. Please try to get some rest, sir, I will be back after I complete my chores to add more petals to the water.” The brunette turned from him and was out the door in an instant. 

Levi watched for a few moments longer, waiting for something, though for what he couldn’t say. A strange sense of longing presented itself, a desire to do something, go after something, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Or, perhaps more accurately, he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to get close to anyone, he wouldn’t get hurt again, not after watching so many others that he cared for perish. 

But, this kid laughs in Death’s face.

It was true, every time that grim reaper decided to take Eren away, that boy just spit in his face and performed some stunt that somehow worked out in the long run. 

See, what’s so wrong with getting close to someone who can’t-well, more like won’t-die?

Everything, the kid is half my age.

You and I both know that’s bullshit. We’re only twenty six, dumbass, learn how to count.

Oh shut u- wait, am I arguing with myself?

Why are you asking me?

I’m going nuts.

Possibly.

Shut up!

*******************************LineLineLineLineLineLineLine*************************** 

The last time Eren was so exhausted was the first day of training. The emotional and physical toll on his body was the equivalent to what he was feeling now after leaving his superior’s room. Not only was he having to tap into memories locked away deep in his mind long ago, he was having to deal with the strange and complicated man that was Humanity’s Strongest. Sick Heichou was so different from the normally cold and stoic man, the one who was never afraid to kick someone’s ass, the one who kept quiet and only spoke when necessary. This new Corporal was so curious, something akin to a child, yet without the innocence of the early years of life. He was also talkative. Very, very talkative, well more so compared to usual.

“Hey, Eren!” The soldier stopped his aimless wandering to view the blob of blonde locks heading toward him. 

“Armin!” Eren rushed forward to greet his friend. He hadn’t seen the other since his trial, and though the Levi Squad kept him plenty busy, he couldn’t help but to miss his little brother. And sister for that matter. “Where’s Mikasa?” 

The bubbly blonde skid to a stop in front of him and pivoted to look behind him, “She was right behind me.”

The question was answered when two arms latched onto Eren’s shoulders, and a figure clung to him like a toddler, while pale hands moved about furiously over his body, presumably checking for injuries. 

“Did that midget hurt you?” The menacing growl would have sent anyone who was not close with the girl running in the opposite direction with their tail between their legs. Eren and Armin, though still apprehensive, were used to the overprotective tendencies. It was one of the things Eren adored most about Mikasa. She was extremely protective of those she cares for, and Eren could relate. It just wasn’t a very good thing when they were protective over each other. 

“You mean Heichou?” Her lip curled at the name, as though she was furious and smelt something rotten.

“Yes, that thing,” Eren smiled at the hiss, she always did remind him of a snake or even a cat, “That bastard, I’ll kill him for hurting you.” 

“Mikasa, he had to, you know that. It was the only way.”

“No, it wasn’t! They could have figured out something else, and he didn’t have to hit you that hard.”

“It had to be believable.” 

“Uh, Mikasa, Eren does have a good point. The higher ups would have known if Levi-Heichou was going easy on him.” Armin popped into the conversation before their tempers rose. It was one of the things Eren loved about Armin, his ability to keep calm, read a situation, and intervene when necessary. They were complete opposites but they balanced each other, it was wonderful.

He would get along great with Erwin. Hm, I wonder what would happen if they actually spoke...they are a lot alike, similar demeanors, really smart, they would be perfect for each oth- Oh HELL NO!

“Armin Arlert, stay away from Commander Erwin!”

“W-what, why?!” 

“Because my baby brother is too young to have a lover!” Eren wailed and held tightly onto the blonde covered head. His siblings in all but blood simply stared at him bewildered. 

“L-lover?” Armin’s voice dropped to a stutter, his baby blues swimming with a rare emotion, confusion.”You know what, I am not even going to ask right now.” The boy sighed and curled further into the taller male’s chest. Mikasa behaved in a similar fashion, releasing her death grip on the brunette, only to wrap her arms around his midsection and tucked her head into his neck. 

“I’ve missed you guys.” Eren murmured into the dark locks of the girl he held.

“We missed you too, nii-san.” The response was simultaneous, almost practiced, yet the warmth and love behind the words was enough to prove it was no more than a coincidental habit. 

“Come on, we have a lot to catch up on.” Armin was the first to pull away, though not entirely. He held fast onto the hands of the other two, dragging them along to go find food before Sasha showed. 

 

******************************LiiiiiiiineBreeeeeaaaak******************************************** 

“So, you’re actually taking care of him, and he’s letting you?” The young blonde stared at his elder brother figure in curiosity. 

“Mm-hm, Hanji-san said that I was experienced enough and it was less likely I would get sick so they let me be in charge.” Eren nibbled on his loaf of bread, making a mental note to take a roll for Levi tonight. 

“I don’t like you being alone with him.” Mikasa glared down at her plate, brows furrowed and her lips in a pout.

“He’s not going to kill me or anything, even if he wanted to hurt me, he’s too sick to really move anyway. Besides, I can take care of myself, you don’t need to worry so much.” That only seemed to make the girl sulk more. Eren just sighed, there really was no getting through to her.

Honestly, he loved the girl. She was his sister, but her over protectiveness was a little overwhelming sometimes. However, the real reason he was so adamant about her not worrying was more for the fact that she put him first always, no matter what happened to her. Eren would be lying if he said that didn’t make him uneasy, he didn’t know how much she would be willing to endure for his sake. 

“He has a point, Mikasa. More importantly, if Heichou were to put Eren out of commission, who would take care of him? I don’t think he would beat Eren up just so Hanji-san can do experiments, since they already said no one else is qualified enough.”

The brunette looked to his little brother sitting across from him. He adored the boy, he was so sweet and adorable, like a male Christa, but at the same time was cunning and the voice of reason. Granted, he could be a bit ditzy and innocent at times, but Eren couldn’t exactly say he didn’t do the same so...

“Of course, the first day here and we don’t even get to see Humanity’s Strongest!” The boy growled low in his throat, he could recognize that voice anywhere, it never failed to piss him off.

“No shit, horse-face, of course you can’t see him, he’s sick”

“Pretty weak if you ask me, seriously, he’s the strongest soldier we have but a little cold brings him down. What was the point of even joining this damn branch if a cold is all it takes to force the strongest member to be put on bedrest?Pathetic.” 

“Lucky no one asked you, dumbass. And he is a human you fucking idiot, being sick would put anyone on bedrest, I can assure he doesn’t want to be there, but he doesn’t have any fucking choice!” The boy snapped his jaws at the French boy leaning over him, leering downwards. Eren couldn’t stand that moron, he was so arrogant and rude and just plain annoying. 

“Whatever, calm down bastard. We all know you’re just defending him because you have a crush on him. It seems like you’re more of a mother than you are a lover now though..” Jean crouched toward him, glaring into the emerald eyes, almost daring him to react. He did, of course.

Eren went to lunge at the two toned male but held himself back before even Mikasa could grab his arm.

“I don’t have time for you and your stupidity right now. Marco, could you put a muzzle on your horse?” The freckled boy smiled softly at him while holding his best friend back.

“Of course, come on Jean.” Marco gripped his friends’ shoulders and pulled him back,just enough for Eren to slide past from his place on the bench. 

“Eren, where are you going?” Said boy just shot a smile towards the small blonde.

“Sorry, I just need to get my chores done so I can check on Heichou later. I’ll see you guys at dinner!” With that, he took off with a small wave, ignoring the two glares being directed his way.

******************************************Behold the Line**************************************

Levi was once more not happy, er, well he wasn’t really ever but, still. Ever since Eren left he was feeling something he hadn’t felt in a long while, to the point he actually forgot the name for the emotion. 

Loneliness.

Levi was feeling lonely. He didn’t even remember what it was, considering he closed his heart of years ago. Yet somehow, that brat managed to break down any and all walls he built and allowed him to feel more than the typical irritation. However, that brought on a whole other issue entirely. The kid was able to get past his barriers, and that meant, he could potentially hurt him. The whole reason for the cold facade was to keep people from getting too close, Levi did not want more heartache than he’s already experienced.

The Corporal tried everything to keep himself from thinking about those bright eyes, honestly, his curiosity was almost to Hanji levels as he questioned why those orbs never seemed to stay one color. It drove him crazy.

“Heichou, are you awake?” The man’s heart sped up when a knock came at the door, yet for some reason went back to normal when the sweet, feminine voice fluttered through the compacted wood.

“What is it, Petra?” Levi hurried to call out a warning when the doorknob began to turn, “Don’t come in here.”

“Oh, sorry, I just wanted to see how you were feeling. I didn’t really get an answer earlier and I wanted to see if anything Eren did helped.” The tone of voice suggested something else, but the man had already blown up once today over how people treated Eren, the last thing he wanted was to do it again.

“I’m fine. Yes, the brat is surprisingly helpful. Turns out he is actually useful, since it seems the brat can’t do shit right, hell he can’t even be a fucking titan right, and that’s basically his only purpose.” A sharp pang struck the male’s icy heart at the remark, it almost felt as if he shouldn’t have said a thing. Though he was brought out of his thoughts when the door began to open once more, “Petra, I thought I said for you to stay out there damni-”

Grey eyes widened in shock and an ounce of fear, though they quickly shrouded over with guilt at one glimpse of the heartbroken puppy look upon his newest teammate’s face. 

“Glad to know I have some purpose besides being a monster.” The young soldier let his shoulders drop for just a moment before straightening and sliding that smile onto his face once more. 

Damn it, there he goes again.

The boy was unnervingly silent as he moved about the room. He placed a few more petals into the water and checked to make sure it was still steaming. He then looked to his patient, checked his fever, asked a few questions and was out of the room in a matter of two minutes. He never spoke to the Corporal unless necessary and seemed to have no interest in giving any further instructions. 

“I’m sorry sir, I didn’t mean to cause trouble.” The auburn haired girl shifted from foot to foot just outside the doorway, a guilty look etched onto her face. 

“It’s fine, Petra, I’m the one who said it. But why didn’t you tell me he was outside the door?”  
“I didn’t even realize he was, sir.” Levi just sighed, of course he would end up hurting the kids feelings. 

“The one time the brat actually has some skill he hears me insult him.” The raven muttered under his breath, cursing his own bad luck and the boy’s unfortunate timing. 

“Is there anything I can do, Heichou?” Sweet, sweet Petra, the girl was so kind it was unnerving in the line of work they participated in. 

“No. On second thought, make sure the kid is alright.” The female giggled for some reason.

“If I may be so blunt sir, this is the most concern you’ve expressed for anyone, really.” She held a hand to her mouth as if hiding a smile.

“Tch, I have no attachment for Jaeger whatsoever. The only reason is that if he is being hormonal he’s going to give a shitty performance in training and the experiments. We need him to be at his best.” That sent a sharp pain through his heart, enough to make his breath catch and worry him ever so slightly. He glanced at his subordinate to see if she had noticed, though the only change was the frown gracing her lips. 

“I see.” Now that was unlike her. The curt, blunt statement was rare for the kind hearted girl. Though before he could question her demeanor, she had pivoted and walked off.

Well done, Levi. You’ve managed to piss off both of the most adored people in the Survey Corps. 

Though, somehow, the thought of hurting Eren was more prominent than Petra. It wasn’t going to do anyone any good to dwell on it now though, what he needed was rest.


	4. How to Comfort a Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi is troubled. Eren in helpful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note, I do not own the song in this chapter, it is Lullaby for a Stormy Night by Vienna Teng. Also, side/Author note in regards to reading: The dream is up until the line break, so the normal text is what is happening, italics are Levi’s thoughts, and bold italics are Eren’s voice.

 

  
  


“Nii-san!” A voice that he had long since forgotten called out to him. He spun to face the figure darting toward him, twin ponytails caught in the wind behind her as she sprinted across unrecognizable terrain. 

 

Suddenly, she slows and stops. Isabel drops her head until her eyes are no longer visible, shrouded in the shadow created by her bangs. 

 

“Why, nii-san? Don’t you love us?Why did you leave us, fail us? Why did you leave us behind?” The petite form had started to shake and shudder with each heart-wrenching sob. 

 

“Yeah, Levi. Why do you get to live and we don’t?” It was a deeper voice this time. Levi turned around to see a tall blonde standing with a cold and lifeless look. His eyes were void of any and all emotion. 

 

“I never meant for it to happen the way it did.” The man’s voice came out quiet and raspy, it gave away all the things he was feeling at the sight of his lost family members. 

 

“You failed us.” They spoke in unison, the voices of his loved ones were harsh and accusing.

 

“You failed us.” There were more voices now, rising from the depths of the surrounding mist to join in the echoing blame.

 

“You failed us.” Faces began to appear from the chilled fog, expressions lacking any sort of sign of life, just cold and empty. They were soldiers, each one Levi recognized as someone from the Survey Corps. Or even one that he had been able to comfort as they left the world of the living. 

 

“You failed us.” With each turn of his head, Levi faced yet another lost soul staring back.

 

“You failed us, you failed us, you failed us.” The chant was increasing in volume now, the buzzing in his ears became a pounding against his skull, tears pricked at his eyes at the harsh tone and the accusation. 

 

He fell to his knees and held his midsection, the guilt was overwhelming, he hated needless deaths, and all of these children, each death wasn’t needed. If only he had gotten there faster, if only he could see that titan coming, if only he trained them better, then they wouldn’t have lost their lives. 

 

“You failed us.”

 

“I know.” Levi answered, he felt as though he owed them that much.

 

“You failed us.”

 

“I know.”

 

“You failed us!”

 

“I know! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Levi choked on his apologies, “Gomenasai, gomenasai, gomenasai! _ ” _

 

**_Little child, be not afraid_ **

 

_ What? What was that, that didn’t belong here? Not in this nightmare. But why, oh why was there a light? Was it there to taunt him with hope? _

 

**_The storm clouds mask your beloved moon_ **

 

_ That sounded almost like, Eren. Had he come to torture Levi in his dream as well? Were the mistakes he made towards the living now coming to haunt him as well?  _

 

That pleasant voice, drifted through the dense fog with ease, calling out to the man, beckoning him toward the orb of sunlight.

 

**_And candlelight beams, still keep pleasant dreams_ **

 

_ There were no dreams here. He was stuck, forever alone, in this hellish Limbo, wasn’t he? Could he get out, and why did he want to leave, he deserved this, didn’t he? _

 

**_I am here tonight_ **

 

No, there was someone out there, or at least, one who had never done him wrong, that he cared for.

 

_ E-Eren, Eren, Eren!  _

 

Levi began to move forward.

 

*************************Behold the beloved line break***************************

  
  


When Eren had walked into his Corporal’s room that evening he expected him to either be sitting in bed or, hopefully, asleep. What he did not expect to find however, was the man throwing himself every way in his bedding, choked noises escaping his agape mouth. Tears fell from his eyes as he writhed in pain and misery. The sight shattered Eren’s heart, and so he did the only thing he could think of. He sang.

 

The boy gently sat upon the bed, idly noticing it was quite hard, even compared to his own, and grasped the smaller man’s shoulders, holding him very carefully so as to not startle him into thinking he was being attacked in his sleep. After he ensured the raven would not lash out, or even if he did it would not be too painful for the younger male, the Shifter began to sing.

 

“Little child, be not afraid, the storm clouds mask your beloved moon and candlelight beams, still keep pleasant dreams, I am here tonight.”

 

His superior did not seem to respond for some time, that is until the shaking and sobbing began to settle. The relief that flooded his system when he was able to see the grey irises was immense, he almost began to sob himself. 

 

“Eren,” Said boy shuddered at the sound of his given name, “What are you doing?”   

 

The brunette immediately released the man, though did not move from his place just above him, even when Levi shifted and attempted to sit up, Eren continued to hover over him. 

 

“Sorry, Heichou, you were having a nightmare.” The boy flinched at the withering look sent his way.

 

“No shit, I mean why are you here?” 

 

“I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I came up to bring you something to eat since you missed dinner, but I saw you were having a nightmare and I just...wanted to help, I guess.” Levi looked away and out the window. 

 

The young Shifter was amazed at the way his superior could easily fall into his cold and cruel attitude. Had he not been there to witness it himself, Eren wouldn’t have thought the man capable of such emotion. The only indicator of his dream trauma was the tears that ran the length of his face. They caught the moonlight streaming in through the window and glimmered as though they were precious stars fallen from the sky. The boy couldn’t help but to think how befitting the comparison was to his Corporal. Something so beautiful and brilliant, yet always lonely and out of reach, but despite the isolation, would burn those who dared to come near. 

 

“Jaeger!” Eren jumped and blushed at the call. Levi was staring directly at him, a glare settled firmly in place. 

 

“Sorry, sir! Did you say something?” The man sighed at him.

 

“Yes, I asked if I could have that food?” The brunette smiled softly at him and grabbed the small loaf of bread wrapped in a napkin. 

 

“Here, Heichou. I wasn’t certain how you were feeling so I brought you something that wouldn’t be too much to handle.” He merely nodded at the soldier in understanding before biting aggressively into the meal. 

 

“You know, sir. If you are feeling better, tomorrow, if you’re up to it, you should be able to go downstairs and eat breakfast with the rest of us. You shouldn’t be contagious anymore, or at least not to the point anyone would get sick if they were simply near you, and I trust you wouldn’t cough on anybody.” It wasn’t a question, everyone knew of the man’s cleanliness tendency. Levi glanced up and nodded once more before they settled into a comfortable silence. 

 

“What were you singing?” That was a question Eren wasn’t prepared for. 

 

“It was...a lullaby. My mother used to sing it to me whenever I was sick or having a nightmare. She would just hold me tight, showing me that I wasn’t alone, and would just sing. It was always so peaceful whenever she would, everyone stopped whatever they were doing just to listen to the melody. It was something else entirely. Sorry, I’m rambling.” The boy blushed once again, 

 

“No, it’s fine, I don’t mind.” 

 

The soldier looked down into his lap to play with his fingers, uncharacteristically shy, his brash nature lying dormant when he needed his courage the most.

 

“If you want to say something, spit it out, kid.” Levi noticed the contemplating expression upon the boy’s face, his brows knit together and the pools of aquamarine darkened from a lively emerald to a deep pine, sharp and inquisitive. 

 

“Sorry, sir. It’s just that, well, I wanted to tell you that, I mean, I know I’m just a kid and I couldn’t really understand  much of what you go through but, I could try?” The boy stumbled over his words as steely eyes watched on in amusement. “No, er, well, what I meant is that you can talk to me, you know? If you wanted to, that is. I wouldn’t even say anything, you could just...vent to me and I wouldn’t tell anybody.” 

 

“Maybe later, kid.” Eren jerked and stared at the man in disbelief, though the gaze was lost on him seeing as the raven was once more staring out the window. 

 

“I guess I should be going then, Heichou. If you need anything let me know.” He moved to get off the bed but a hand thrust out to grip his own. The brunette turned questioning eyes to the man’s face, however the pale expression was shadowed by the dark locks atop his head. 

 

“Just...stay. For just a while, please. I don’t know why but, you helped make the nightmare stop and maybe, maybe you can keep it from coming back. I just want one night of peace, one night where I don’t have to face those that I’ve failed.” 

 

“Alright.” If Levi was shocked at the lack of questions, he didn’t show it. His only response was to grip Eren’s hand tighter and pull him lightly towards the bed which the young man settled upon once more, only this time, he gripped the man’s shoulders and held him close. Eren wasn’t sure if the action was what was insinuated, but seeing as he wasn’t on the floor writhing in agony, he supposed it was the right move. 

 

“It’s funny. I used to do this same thing for Isabel.” Eren glanced down at the corporal, though his nervous expression shifted to one of concern seeing the troubled look etched upon the face of the stoic male. As if that wasn’t an indicator enough, the small bit of shaking that accompanied the slight stutter was. Levi wasn’t ready, he wouldn’t -couldn’t -discuss these things now.

 

“Heichou, while I appreciate you are willing to open up, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. You don’t have to say anything now.”

 

“What if I want to?’ The challenging tone raised even more suspicion. 

 

“You don’t. I know you don’t, and I’m not going to force you to talk about things you don’t want to. You can tell me when you are ready, then and only then will I listen.” Levi exhaled, to anyone else the sound would have been one of irritation, but Eren could see the relief swimming in the steel orbs. They once again settled into a silence laced with a small bit of tension, though why, the boy did not know.

 

“Eren?”

 

“Hmm?”  At the sound the man raised his head to look Eren in the eye for a brief moment, only to shift his gaze elsewhere.

 

“I’m sorry, for, for earlier, I mean. What I said, it-it wasn’t right. I wasn’t right. You’re not a monster, Eren.” The German male stiffened only to release a breath a moment later, and with the exhale the tension slipped from his form. He gripped his Corporal tighter and pulled him closer until the man’s chin was resting on his shoulder. 

 

“It’s alright, sir. I’m used to it, trust me, it doesn’t hurt.” 

 

“How do you expect me to open up to you when you keep yourself closed off?” Eren’s eyes went wide in surprise, not at that the raven was willing to open up to him, but rather that he had noticed when the boy shut himself away. He had always been very careful to not let anyone see what was really happening, so for a man he had hardly known to read him so easily, it made the boy nervous.

 

“How about this, when one shares something, the other does as well? Does that sound fair?” Levi made a soft sound that Eren took as an agreement. For a while longer the two sat within their little bubble, it was as though nothing existed outside of the embrace. No titans, no mourning, no dying, no killing, nothing was outside the thick wooden door, nothing was beyond the line of trees at the edge of the yard hidden in the shadows just out of reach from the pale fingers of moonlight. It was only the two of them. Two broken souls, two cracked and chipped hearts, bandaged far too many times even though nothing ever healed.

 

For the first time in four years, Eren allowed himself to weep softly, he allowed the tears to fall silently upon the sleeping form of his Levi.

  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Levi Hates Everyone (Or Tries To)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi is stubborn. Hanji likes experiments. And the Levi squad just wants their captain to be happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my Lovelies. Ya know what, screw it, here's another chapter. I really should wait a little to give myself a bit more time to work on the next part of the series, which by the way I've decided to call "To Heal A Heichou". It's gonna be pretty long so I might split it up some. Who knows? Anyway, here's another chapter, hope you guys like it!

“Good morning, Heichou!” The cheery voice was normally a nice change from the downtrodden atmosphere of the castle, though in the early morning that happiness was no better than a swarm of wasps.

 

“Come on, time to get up! You do want to go eat breakfast with your team, right? Well then, get up!” Eren yanked the blankets away from Levi’s form, only to have the man reach out and pull them back over his head.

 

_ Scratch that, make it swarm of Hanji Hybrid Wasps. _

 

“Go away, brat.” Levi continued to burrow himself within his fabric cocoon, growling and hissing, though he would never admit to doing such things whenever the young brunette would attempt to pull him from his soft encasement. 

 

“Sir, I must insist you get up, I understand you are tired, but in order for you to continue healing, rest, as well as fresh air and a change of environment, is necessary. I’m sorry to do this but, as your doctor, I am ordering you to go eat.” Steel eyes peeked out from a small crack in the mound of blankets, fury clearly visible. No one ordered Levi to do anything that he was outright against. That just so happened to include the idea of crawling out of his nest so early.

 

“Fine, suit yourself. But I thought we could air out the room a bit today since the atmosphere is so stale and loaded with bacteria…”

 

_ Fucking kid is trying to bait me…ugh, it smells like shit though. _

 

Levi chose to ignore the fact that he could actually smell again in favor of glaring at the boy. If he were to come to terms with Eren doing a good job, the raven may be tempted to crawl out of bed.

 

“Alright, if you insist, I’ll leave you to wallow in your disease infested room.” The brunette practically sang the words and Levi could feel the smug tone tugging at his nerves.

 

“Fuck it and fuck you, Jaeger. You’ll clean this room until it shines while I eat, understood?” The man shook off his layers of blankets and wriggled off the mattress. 

 

“Yes, sir!” Eren was standing upright in a salute, his eyes shining with delight in the morning light, smile wide and gleaming.

 

_ Stupid, shitty, fucking kid, and his stupid shitty bright eyes that make me do anything he fucking wants. Damn that little fucker and damn his morning happy-go-lucky attitude. _

 

“You have a set of clothes waiting in the washroom, sir, I will wait for you to finish dressing.” 

 

“Why the hell are you going to wait? What, are you going to watch over me like some damn sitter?”  

 

“Not at all, Heichou. I just want to ensure nothing goes wrong. It would be bad if you were to fall and hit your head as a result of a sudden bout of dizziness, wouldn’t it?” That smug look was back and all the Corporal wanted was to get that look off of the kid’s face, though the method he wanted to use was not so appropriate.

 

The thought left the shorter male blushing slightly as he dragged himself into his personal washroom, his stomach churning with mixed emotions all the while.

 

***********************************************************************************************

 

Eren shuffled about the room as he waited for his superior, gathering the bowls he had left behind, deconstructing his makeshift stove top, and opening the windows to allow some fresh air to filter through. As he stripped the bedding from the mattress, the boy let his mind wander, since it was rather strange for a higher ranking official to have such an uncomfortable bed. Especially so for the Corporal, as his skills with the three dimensional maneuver gear no doubt resulted in stiff joints and sore muscles. Why the man would let himself endure such a thing when he could most certainly request a better mattress was beyond the young man’s comprehension.

 

_ Maybe it has something to do with what Petra-san had said, something about him being a criminal? Perhaps he is used to such living conditions? _

 

“Oi, brat, why the hell are you standing there like an idiot?” Eren hadn’t noticed the door open, nor had he heard when the water had shut off. Honestly, he had assumed the Corporal would take much longer, considering his cleaning preferences. 

 

“Sorry, sir, I was just...um…” His voice trailed off at the sight of the man in such a state. His white shirt was only buttoned halfway, wet locks of black hair clung to the sides of his forehead, a sign that the raven had recently washed his face. The pale flesh of the older male’s cheeks was slightly flushed; the color confirmed Eren’s belief that his patient was feeling better. 

 

Levi rolled his eyes and continued to button his shirt, “Come on, kid, I’m hungry.” 

 

“Er, right, sorry sir.” The brunette trailed after the man like the obedient puppy Horse-Face so often called him. 

 

************************************************************************************************

 

“Levi-Heichou! How are you feeling today, sir?” Levi glanced downward toward the auburn-haired woman staring up at him with wide eyes.

 

“Better, actually.” Levi sat with a huff, eyeing his surroundings with little interest, seeing if perhaps something interesting had occurred in his absence. It hadn’t.

 

“Huh, so the kid can actually do something right. Who would have known?” Auroro sat back in his chair, arms crossed with a smug look that was quickly dropped with the glare Levi shot him.

 

“The boy is young, but has potential. Give him some time.” His teammates looked at him with something akin to astoundment, as though they couldn’t comprehend that their superior was actually giving someone praise. 

 

“Thank you, Heichou!” Eren popped up behind the man, and had he not developed a great reaction time so long ago, he would have been startled enough to fall out of his chair, similar to Gunther.

 

“You are members of the Survey Corps, why the hell did that surprise you?” 

 

“Uh, sorry sir.” The brunette rubbed his head and pulled himself up onto the chair. Levi rolled his eyes and looked back to Eren, who held his hand to his mouth in an attempt to muffle his giggles.

 

“Oi, brat, what the fuck are snickering at?” The boy righted himself immediately, and Levi smiled internally. 

 

_ Really, that kid is something else. _

 

“Sorry sir, here is your tea.” The soldier handed his superior the cup that was still steaming but not overly hot to the touch.

 

Levi didn’t bother to reply as he brought the cup up to his mouth, the warm liquid pulling him fully out of his morning haze and into full consciousness. 

 

“Sir, I was thinking that if you are feeling up to it, you may want to go outside today for a short while.”

 

“Yeah, I don’t want those little shits slacking off just because I wasn’t there one day.”  Levi nodded thoughtfully, his mood brightening at the idea of scaring the hell out of the new recruits.

 

_ And they say I can’t have fun. _

 

The man ignored the way his squad leaned further away from him, obviously terrified at the gleam in his eye. Though, strangely enough, Eren didn’t move; either he hadn’t noticed the dark aura emitting from the man, or he was just an idiot that couldn’t recognize when a situation was dangerous. Levi was betting on the latter. 

 

“Don’t you have something to be doing?” Eren jolted at the reminder and sped away from the room without so much as a goodbye, but Levi wasn’t hoping for one. Really, he wasn’t.

 

The man turned back to face his team, idly wondering when he had even turned around. 

 

“What the fuck are those looks for?” Levi demanded. Each member of his squad, save for Auroro, whose expression was one of extreme distaste, held a knowing look, similar to the one Erwin had worn the previous day.

“You’re very talkative today, Heichou.” Petra held her hand to her mouth, obviously smothering her giggles.

 

“Perhaps it’s because of a certain bubbly new recruit?” Eld held his chin in the palm of his hand. Levi restrained a growl at the sight of his elbow on the wood before he actually registered what the man had insinuated.

 

“Just what the hell is that supposed to mean? Jaeger has nothing to do with anything.”

 

“No need to get defensive. Besides, he never said it was Eren.” Gunther grinned at the raven.

 

“I hate all of you.” Levi wondered why exactly it was he surrounded himself with idiots as the squad’s laughter filled the room.

  
  


***********************************************************************************

 

Eren shuffled about his superior’s room, dusting the desk and bedside table, cleaning the windowsill, even going so far as to wipe down the walls and ceiling just before he swept the floor, taking care to clean the chair he stood on as well. He wiped his brow after placing the new linens upon the barren mattress since he had worked up a sweat working so quickly yet meticulously. 

 

_ Hopefully Heichou will be content with this. _

 

Eren doubted it. Either way, he still needed to get to Hanji for a new experiment, and was not looking forward to exposing his heightened senses; it was one of the few secrets he was able to keep. Despite being prone to wearing his heart on his sleeve, the young shifter was not so fond of being a completely open book. Everyone has at least one secret they’d like to keep to themselves, after all. The brunette made his way down maze-like hallways, anxiety slowing spreading throughout his body. He didn’t like this, not at all. Being exposed, having all of his secrets laid out before him, it was terrifying. 

 

Nevertheless, Eren swiftly reached the heavy wooden door at the end of the corridor, shadows splayed about the stone walls, and bouncing off the high arched ceilings. The boy shivered. He was never very fond of going to the Squad Leader’s lab; it often reminded him of the scenes from the horror stories Armin would read to him when he would spend the night, long after his parents had gone to bed. Carla was certain the books gave the boys night terrors, though Eren firmly disagreed. He rapped against the door, the sharp sound echoing throughout the hall.

 

“EREN!” Said male flinched when the door flung open to reveal an overexcited Hanji, ‘Come come, we have a lot to do!”

 

“What exactly are we doing, Hanji-san?” he questioned as he glanced about the room. No matter how many times he had been in there, the overwhelming amount of objects was still admirable, considering the Corporal would have no doubt thrown a majority of the items away had it been any other room. The wooden bookcases packed tight with jars of fluids in a variety of colors line the room the only open space being the dual desks - presumably one for Moblit - that sat opposite each other on the far wall. One of which being coated in a thick layer of paper and books, stuck together with what seemed to be ink, though with Hanji it was always questionable. The other desk, however, was neat, the various materials stacked and organized, with a small clean jar of ink and two pens sitting directly between. 

 

“Well, we are going to be testing your senses today.” The wicked glint behind the scientist’s glasses had Eren tensing, and apparently it was a noticeable change, “Oh, don’t worry, Shorty is going to be watching the experiments today. He won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

 

The brunette relaxed at that, and cautiously made his way over to the metal table his superior was gesturing towards. There were but a few lanterns spread throughout the room, strategically placed to light up the room, but not overly so, resulting in a soft dim light to cover the area, allowing few shadows to flicker about. The table, however, had multiple lanterns placed around it, providing an ominous brightness to the already gleaming steel, and a foreboding contrast to the softer tone of the room. 

 

Needless to say, despite Hanji’s reassurances, Eren was still highly uncomfortable with the actions about to take place, though he was inwardly grateful at allowing his Corporal freedom from his room confinement, or else he may have had to allow the scientist to experiment on him, alone. The thought alone was enough to give him chills.

 

The German male attempted to bring himself to focus on Hanji’s ramblings, hoping to decipher exactly what it was he was expected to do, only to have no such luck; the longer his superior spoke the more jumbled the words became until it was impossible to sort out whatever was being said. The buzz was interrupted only when the door slammed open.

 

“ Hurry this up, I have green horns to frighten.” Levi stormed into the room, anger present on his face, obviously unhappy with the sudden need for him to watch over another test. 

 

“Right-o. Today, we’re gonna test your hearing, Eren. Nothing too bad, I promise, just a simple little test and then The Grump can be on his way to terrorize young children.” Hanji turned to the Corporal, invading his personal space despite the anger that rolled off the male in waves. The two spoke in hushed tones for a few moments, with the occasional glance in the boy’s direction, which left him feeling very out of place. 

 

“Alrighty Eren, this is gonna be really easy! All you need to do is listen very closely and tell me whenever you hear this sound,” The scientist tapped the bronze instrument, which emitted a low thrum that Eren committed to memory, “So I can see how far you can hear from. Think you can do that?” 

 

“Yes, sir!” The young male was quick to reply, hoping he would be able to convince them he wasn’t really able to hear all that well.

 

“Oi, brat, don’t even think about lying to us. Shitty Glasses will be able to tell, and you don’t want to know the punishment if you try it. Understood?” The firm and heavy tone left no room for question.

 

_ Well, shit, there goes that idea. _

 

“Understood, sir!” Eren automatically went into a salute, rigid from absolute terror. 

 

Levi nodded slightly, then left the room, snatching the bell from Hanji in the process.

 

“Okay, my little Test Subject, just listen, and tell me when you hear the bell.” 

 

*****************************************************************************

 

“Stupid fucking crazy pain in the ass. Dragging me down here to be part of some experiment. It’s fucking filthy down here. How the hell did it get so dirty? I know I just made the squad clean these halls a few days ago.” The raven growled to himself, mumbling curses while making his way toward the first marker. 

 

Hanji has said fifteen colored cloths were placed on the wall at various lengths from the room, each color representing that particular distance. His job was to move to the next cloth and ring the bell every two minutes. So Eren could not predict when the bell would ring and simply say he heard it, though Levi doubted he would At the thirteenth band, the man was to cut the time in between each ring in half. So from thirteen to fourteen he would ring the bell in one minute. From fourteen to fifteen, he would ring it in thirty seconds. The stupid Squad Leader made sure to be very specific, why Levi did not know, nor did he want to. Delving into the brunette’s mind was a terrifying thought in itself, never mind actually attempting such a thing. 

 

Levi made his way to the first band, pink for ten feet, and rung the bell. He immediately moved onto the next, this one being purple, for fifteen feet, and once again rung the damned bronze contraption. The low sound echoed through the dim hallway.

 

_ This is going to be fucking annoying. _

 

***********************************************************************************

 

“Amazing, absolutely amazing!” Hanji was ranting and raving, arms raised high with the noted documentation of the experiment results clenched tightly in one hand. “You heard the bell up to fifty feet away! That’s amazing! Better than I expected!”

 

“That’s wonderful, Hanji-san.” Eren attempted to be respectful, but he was too tired to do so. It’s not as though the test was physically exhausting, but it took a toll on the male mentally. Every time he heard the small  _ ting _ he inwardly grimaced, knowing full well he would have to report it to the other brunette occupying the room. With each clang of the metal against metal, Eren felt a small part of his mask chip away and fade along with the sound.

 

_ Everything I worked so hard to create, taken down by a little metal cup and stick. That is really pathetic. _

 

Hanji’s excited screeching, the boy could not identify any actual words, was once more halted by a crashing door, and the sight of a highly annoyed Corporal. 

 

“Are we done here? I have things to do.” He stared directly at the spectacle clad lunatic. 

 

“But-but, I want to do MORE! There is so much we could do! Think of the possibilities, Levi!” Hanji pounced and took to clinging to the man like a whining child.

 

“No, we are done. Come, Jaeger, no more tests today.” Said boy let out a sigh of relief, his shoulders dropping and the anxiety seemingly vanished. At least he had something to hold on to.

 

“No! Come on, Ravioli, please, please, PLEASE, let me do more!” His response was to quickly kick the scientist with the leg that wasn’t being grasped as though it was a lifeline. 

 

Eren felt a small bit of pity at the sight of Hanji crumpled on floor in a heap, knowing full well how much it hurt to be on the receiving end of the man’s fury, but all traces of compassion diminished when he heard the strange Squad Leader’s sleepy mumble of something that sounded similar to the young man’s name. 


	6. Levi Is Capable of Social Interaction?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi is social, sorta, and confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovelies, here's another chapter. Let me know what you think!

“Sir, where are we going? I thought I was supposed to spend the rest of the morning and afternoon with Hanji-san?”

 

“Not today, that test was enough for now. I’m sure that will be enough material to create more theories for another day. Let Shitty Glasses stew on those results for now.” Levi didn’t bother mentioning that an odd weight settled in his stomach at the thought of being without the boy for the day, “Right now you will observe your squadmates training the new recruits. no participation as of yet, though.”

 

“I understand, sir.” The man cast a sideways glance at the tone. It was a soft and bitter sound, one that echoes a loss of willpower. 

 

Levi knew that tone, he had heard it many times throughout his career, many soldiers lost their way with all the pain and devastation surrounding their existence. But to hear it from Eren, the headstrong young man who had grown up too fast, had seen far too much for his age, and yet continuously brought out a sense of hope in everyone he came into contact with, it was too painful to bear. 

 

“No, you don’t. You are not training with them because of your Titan powers. If you transform there are multiple people prepared to stop you before anything happens. You aren’t training with the cadets because you aren’t on the same level with them anymore. You are on my Special Operations Squad, meaning you are going to need to be on par with the rest of the squad members. The training you will get with the rest of your classmates won’t get you there, that’s why, for now, I will personally train you, until either you or the trainees meet the standards of being on my squad.” 

 

The raven had to hold back an amused snort at the look on Eren’s face. His eyes went comedically wide, and his eyebrows that were close to rivaling even Erwin’s had shot up as though trying to reach his hairline. 

 

“A-Ah! Thank you, Heichou!” Levi turned and continued on his way, ignoring the slight flutter in his chest at seeing the smile return to the young male’s face. 

 

“Come on you little shits, pick up the pace! If you run this slow with a Titan on your ass in the field, you’ll be its next meal in an instant!” Auroro was snapping at each cadet who ran past him when Levi and Eren made their way out to the training grounds.

 

“Stop acting like Heichou, you sound like an idiot,” Petra sighed heavily, knowing reprimand fell on deaf ears, “ And you should be running too, you are no exception to training either.”

 

Levi stepped up right behind his imitator, waiting for the blonde to realize his presence. When the man didn’t and continued on a rant that was meant to justify his lack of participation in physical conditioning, though did nothing more than make him seem as though he were a stubborn child, the Corporal cleared his throat. 

 

“Levi-Heichou! U-uh, I thought you were helping Hanji with an experiment today, sir?” 

 

“Obviously the test is over with. Mind explaining to me why you believe that is any reason to slack off?” Eren had to hold back a giggle at the shorter male appearing to tower over the taller, using intimidation alone.

 

“I-I was just making sure none of the newbies didn’t fall back, sir!” 

 

“How noble of you,” Levi droned, “Now get your ass moving.” The man’s demeanor went from stoic to silently enraged in an instant. 

 

Eren was unable to hold back the small huff of laughter as Auroro stumbled backward and flapped his arms, similar to that of a chicken, in order to gain his footing, only to lose it once more when he attempted to run forward and tumble to the ground. 

 

“Augh! Uckgh!” The snicker turned into full blown laughter-thankfully the silent type- when the man began to hack, as he obviously had bitten his tongue in the fall.

 

“Heh.” Eren glanced over and his breath caught in his throat. Levi’s lips had turned upwards ever so slightly, and his shoulders were shaking.

 

The boy sucked in a breath at the sight, which in turn, much to his disappointment, caused the raven to abruptly end his soft bout of laughter and glare sternly at the brunette. 

 

“Something you want to say Jaeger?” Levi attempted his most menacing glare, but Eren could tell there was no real heat behind it. Levi’s eyes were a sight to behold whenever he was amused, they glowed softly, drifting from a stony ashen grey to what appeared to be a lighter shade of silver, however when one looked close enough, within the pools of liquid metal laid flecks of blue, speckles that created the perfect image of the beloved sky shining through the gaps within the clouds on a dreary day. Most would find the image sad and void of life but for Eren, he found it to be breathtaking.

 

“No sir, just admiring the view.” The brunette knew he was taking a chance with that one, especially with how he had leaned towards his superior just slightly as he lost himself within the mesmerizing gaze of his captain, but when Levi turned away slightly, the boy could see the lightest dusting of pink across the man’s cheeks, and his heart swelled.

 

“Right, well, quit gawking and pay attention. See if you can point out any mistakes the others are making.” Eren turned to face his comrades as they went through the obstacle course set before them. For the longest time he could never understand why they were put through an obstacle course on foot, but after the three years of training and Armin’s intelligence he finally was able to grasp the purpose, and not only help himself make it through, but find where and why others failed.

 

“None of them are working together. They are all going through the obstacles at their own pace, and while it’s understandable that some aren’t as fast as others, some keep getting stuck at certain places. Like Armin can’t for the life of him climb up the wall, he’s just too short and lacking the body strength, whereas Jean can do so easily, but isn’t exactly smart enough to figure out how to get through the rope trap.” Levi looked slightly stunned at the observations.

 

_ Why does everyone get so surprised whenever I say something that is even remotely intelligent? I may act foolish but not to the point where I am a complete dunce. _

 

“It’s been quite some time since anyone has understood the purpose of the obstacle course so quickly.”

 

“Shadis had us doing something similar, so I’m not entirely sure why the rest of my teammates haven’t figured out what to do. We worked so well together while training.” It seemed even Armin hadn’t quite grasped the concept yet and he was supposed to be the tactical genius.

 

“Most likely they are set in a survival mode right now. When you are against the Titans, starring those ugly fuckers right in the face, you aren’t exactly concerned with teamwork, you are so focused on surviving yourself that you hardly notice anyone around you, aside from those you truly care for. It’s not exactly unheard of for soldiers to leave comrades behind so that they can survive, you know. Given what happened in Trost, your friends probably experienced that feeling first hand, so even now in training, they are so focused on increasing their own chances of survival, that they forget about the others.” Levi explained softly, his eyes darkening.

 

“You’re probably right, I didn’t really think of it that way to be honest.”

 

“No, I don’t suppose you would. Your sense of loyalty is something incredibly rare these days. There are few who would put their lives on the line for even their closest friends, much less complete strangers. I don’t doubt that you jump into a Titan’s mouth just to save someone.”  Levi hummed, the corner of his lips tugged upwards into a small smirk.

 

“I already have actually,” The raven turned his head swiftly towards his companion, his eyes widening minutely, “I’ll explain later.” 

 

Levi gave a slight nod, his face still frozen in shock, or as close to shock as he could get.

 

“I’ll hold you to that.” 

 

****************I am a line break, FEAR ME!*************************************************

Hanji took over the afternoon training so after lunch Levi was left to his own devices, or more accurately, left to wallow in self pity in his room due to a coughing fit during morning training. Once it began Eren took it upon himself to hold onto his captain so that the man wouldn’t collapse due to the force of his episode, before banishing him to his room with the promise of lunch and more of the herbal tea. To say it was humiliating to be treated like a child in front of the trainees was an understatement, and the brunette’s immediate switch into ‘doctor mode’ did not help the situation whatsoever. And so it came to be that Levi laid upon his bed in the middle of the day, losing his mind to boredom while waiting for his subordinate. 

 

“May I come in, sir?” Eren’s voice floated through the door

Accompanied by three swift knocks, effectively drawing Levi out of his thoughts and, though he’d never admit it, his overwhelming boredom.

 

The raven didn’t know what to do with himself anymore, Eren was slowly breaking down all of his barriers, transforming him into someone Levi could hardly recognize. First with his more docile attitude and willingness to do as Eren says, then to his lashing out in order to defend the brunette, his crying episode the night before, and then to the rather lengthy conversation earlier during training. Levi couldn’t remember the last time he had willingly had such a long conversation with anyone, granted it wasn’t very long by the standards of most other people, but for the captain, it was quite the feat. 

 

_ This kid is going to be the death of me. _

 

_ It could be worse _

 

_ Will you get the fuck out of my head? _

 

_ I can’t dumbass, I’m you. _

 

_ Oh, right. _

 

“Heichou?” The small traces of concern in Eren’s voice made Levi feel as though he were about to start throwing up butterflies.

 

“Come in, brat.” It took ridiculous amounts of willpower to keep his voice steady and his face blush-free.

 

_ I’m pining like some fucking teenager, this is starting to be a problem. _

 

_ Then do something about it. _

 

_ How about no, now fuck off. _

 

“Sir, I brought you some lunch and more tea. How are you feeling?” Eren set the tray containing said items down on the table before pouring Levi’s drink and handing it to him.

 

“As good I can be I suppose, considering I’m now stuck in my room like a goddamn child.” 

 

“Sorry Heichou, it’s just until you are fully recovered. It doesn’t seem as though you are too ill to be up and about, but your body is still weak from fighting off the disease. It would be best if you stayed in bed a majority of the time the next few days.” The boy looked truly upset for Levi and the genuine sadness in those multicolored orbs did strange things to his heart. 

 

“I know kid, I have been sick before.” Eren flushed slightly.

 

“Right, of course, I was just, uh, yeah, sorry.” The brunette lightly scratched the back of his neck as more color flooded his cheeks.

 

“It’s fine.” Levi sighed and the room fell into a comfortable silence, though from the young cadet’s fidgeting, his superior knew the younger had something on his mind.

 

“Spit it out Jaeger, I know you have something to say. Stop fucking looking at me like I’m going to bite or some shit if you open your mouth. I hate people keeping quiet more than I hate most of the bulshit that comes out of their mouths.” The raven glowered at the boy over the rim of his cup, trying not to let the wonderful taste of the tea lower the look’s effectiveness. Though when Eren stared him straight in the eye it occurred to Levi that perhaps the look had lost its touch on the boy altogether.

 

“Well if you’d like sir, I could bring you something to amuse yourself with. A book or something, or if you’d like maybe we could play a bit of chess, seeing as I have a little free time right now?” Eren shifted from foot to foot, obviously nervous.

 

Tch _, kid probably thinks he’s overstepped some sort of boundary. I’m his superior, but I’m still a human dammit_.

 

“I don’t know how to play chess.” The man stated flatly and his heart clenched against his will when he saw the taller male deflate slightly.

 

“Oh, uh, sorry for suggesting it then.” He spun and made his way to the door when Levi replied.

 

“What the fuck are you sorry for? You didn’t know. Now go get the stupid set so you can teach me how to play.”

 

“Yes, sir!” Eren practically bounced out of the room and if Levi hid a small smile at the youngers enthusiasm behind his cup well, then, no one really needed to know, now did they?

  
  



	7. Fuck You and Your Timing Hanji

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chess, conversations, and Hanji screwing up but then is the supportive best friend we know they are.

“You still owe me that story about how you jumped into a Titan’s mouth,” Levi muttered to the boy sitting across from him  while analyzing the chess board before him, “ and how it is you know how to play chess.”

 

“To answer your second question sir, Armin taught me, something about wanting a challenge but seeing as no one has been able to beat him, I think he just wanted the ego boost of beating me- I suggest you not move that particular piece sir- since he was never very good with physical tasks,” Eren gently nudged the appropriate piece for his captain to move without saying so, the man was a very proud and very stubborn creature, and honestly the boy did not want to ruin their peaceful little bubble, “ As for the first it is a rather long story.”

 

“Well I don’t exactly have anywhere to be now do I? Considering my ‘doctor’ has placed me on bedrest for the next few days.” Levi glanced upwards to level the brunette with a glare that, thankfully, lacked its usual chill.

 

“It’s for your own good sir, that’s the wrong color by the way, I just want to ensure you get plenty of rest and since I can’t really trust you to do so without constant supervision, I had to take drastic action.”

 

“I’m not a child. And you can call me by my name,” Eren drew himself back with a sharp intake of breath at the man’s statement, “ What? You have no hesitance when it comes to being snarky, and that’s about as disrespectful as you can get, so honestly addressing me by my given name would be a step up. Besides, I constantly try to get the members of my squad to do so, yes I am the captain but the only difference that creates is that I know the plans before the rest, I still fight just as hard and dive headfirst into the same danger as everyone else.”

 

“I suppose I can try L-Levi.” The young man could feel his cheeks reddening with not only embarrassment from his stutter but from addressing the man he has admired for so long in such an informal manner, it was strangely...intimate.

 

“Good, now about the Titan?” Eren had to hold back a laugh at that, Levi truly was nothing more than a curious child at heart.

 

“Well when the Colossal Titan broke through the wall at Trost, the first death of a comrade we witnessed, and when I say we I mean a vast majority of the 104th, was a fellow cadet by the name of Thomas. An abnormal lept through the air and snatched Thomas up with its mouth before crashing into a building. I got so angry that I completely disregarded everything and took off after the abnormal but in the process a Titan waiting in the ally jumped up and bit off my leg as I was in the air.” Levi’s eyes shot wide at that particular sentence.

 

“Armin, who had been right alongside me, landed on the roof opposite the one I had landed on. He was panicking, obviously wanting to keep me alive but wasn’t sure how to do so. Not only had I lost a limb but titans were swarming. In his panicked state he didn’t really notice the titan next to him until it was too late. It picked him up and dropped him into its mouth, whole. I could hear him screaming and I didn’t want to lose my best friend so I jumped into the titan’s mouth, grabbed ahold of Armin with one arm while the other held its mouth open, and threw him out and onto the roof. Looking back I knew I wasn’t going to survive so I don’t know what pushed my to do this, but I reached one arm out to Armin, as if he could grab onto it and pull me out, but there was no way he could hold open the titan’s mouth and I would be bitten in half. Even so, Armin went to grab me but my strength failed me and the titan snapped its maul closed, chopping off my arm in the process, before swallowing me. God, I could hear Armin screaming even from inside that thing, he sounded so broken, so lost…” Eren trailed off, remembering the awful agonized screams of his beloved baby brother as he watched his elder be eaten alive with no means of saving him. 

 

“How in the hell did you survive then?” Levi looked astonished and Eren thought that perhaps the man looked similar to how he himself had when Armin first told him stories of the outside world. Terrified yet absolutely fascinated. 

 

“I don’t really remember to be honest, though the one thing I know for certain is that was the first time I transformed, though how or why I couldn’t say.” The raven sat back, as he had slowly risen onto his knees the further the story had progressed.

 

“Incredible, you are something else entirely Jaeger.” Said boy flinched slightly at the tone. “No idiot, I mean that you are something special, very few people would do what you did, no matter who it may be getting eaten. I can’t think of anyone who would take that risk, not even I would, honestly.” Levi looked directly into Eren’s eyes and try as he might, the brunette couldn’t turn his gaze away, he just fell further into those pools of molten silver, constantly churning and twisting with so many different emotions. 

 

“Thank you...Levi.” He was still hesitant to speak the man’s name, but despite having addressed him merely as an afterthought, the raven seemed to swell with...something. What it was exactly, Eren wasn’t sure, but the look on his companion’s face was enough to cause warmth to flood his cheeks and a genuine smile to tug at his lips.

 

“You’re welcome, Eren.” Levi gave that small half smile that Eren had seen earlier and the young cadet couldn’t help but to think his captain, so calm and seemingly happy, was the very definition of beauty. 

 

The pair stayed as they were, smiling softly at one another, their gazes locked, and the rest of the world seemed to fall away, just as it had the previous night. Eren flicked his eyes away for a brief moment to glance at the other man’s lips, and his smile faded, as did Levi’s. They looked at one another once more, gazes unwavering as they slowly inched forward. Eren’s eyes fluttered shut, his heart pounded, he could feel the man’s presence hovering just in front of him.

 

“MY LITTLE LEVI! My poor baby! Don’t worry, Mama Hanji will make everything better!” Within a single moment the atmosphere was shattered as Hanji kicked the door wide open, surprising Eren so much that he jumped and fell off the bed and onto the floor while Levi kicked the chessboard so that it hit the scientist directly in the face.

 

“Just what in the fuck do you think you’re doing Shitty-Glasses? Wasn’t my door locked, how in the actual fuck did you get in here? And why the fuck are you here?” Levi practically snarled at the potential psychopath and Eren took that as his cue to leave. He quickly picked himself off of the ground and collected the chess pieces before scurrying out the door, muttering,

 

“I’ll check on you later, Heichou.” After he shut the door, the Shifter tore off down the hall, his mind racing and heart thundering.

 

_ What the hell just happened? _

 

****************************Fear the line break, love the line break******************************

  
  


Hanji had yet to leave the floor, and seemed to have chosen to remain there, as the brunette had taken on a more comfortable sitting position; legs crossed and hands, oddly enough, folded neatly.

 

“What was that about?Did I interrupt something?” Levi growled low in his throat at the Squad Leader’s lecherous grin, though it dropped seeing the mess of emotions swimming in the raven’s eyes.

 

“Aside from a game of chess, no.” Levi looked away to the spot Eren was previously sitting, his heart unusually heavy.

 

“Levi,” Said man glanced back towards Hanji at the rather serious tone the brunette had taken on, “What happened, talk to me.”

 

“Nothing, Shitty Glasses.” Levi tried to level the scientist with his best glare though it hardly seemed to deter his self proclaimed best friend.

 

“Right, because Eren practically flying out of the room and you looking like a disappointed puppy is obviously normal. Why don’t you try being honest with me for once, eh? I would like to help you Levi, I do care about you.” The captain was astounded by the words coming from the Squad Leader’s mouth, Hanji was only ever this serious once in a blue moon.

 

“I think I was about to kiss Eren.” There, he said it, though the truth did nothing to weight within his heart as he had assumed.

 

“Really?” Hanji’s eyes grew impossibly wide before leveling Levi with an unnervingly large smile, “That’s great!”

 

“NO, it’s not! I just about kissed my subordinate, who is over 10 years my junior and who over half of the fucking population of humanity wants dead! I can’t do this, not him, or to myself!” Levi snapped before sighing and looking out the window.

 

“Tell me what happened, Levi.” Hanji moved from the floor to the bed.

 

_ Shit, something must be seriously wrong if I’m letting Hanji sit on my bed. Goddammit Jaeger, look at what you fucking did to me you damn brat. _

 

“He was teaching me how to play chess. We started talking and he tells me about he jumped into a fucking titans mouth, it’s goddamn mouth, to save his little blonde friend, after losing a fucking leg. I was amazed and told him as much, and how he was basically amazing to do something like that, because he is. I mean, what other person is so loyal that they would jump headfirst into certain death without hesitation to save anyone? I can’t think of one. The kid is fucking incredible. He’s extremely loyal, and kind, and caring towards everyone, even someone like me, Maria knows why! He’s actually quite intelligent and is a fast learner. And he’s so determined, so fucking determined all of the fucking time, I mean it’s like his will is fucking diamond-not even steel- a damn wall of diamond. And he smiled at me, when I told him was amazing, and it was so genuine and beautiful and fuck, Hanji, I don’t know what he is doing to me.” Levi honestly felt he could go on for ages about Eren, and strangely, talking about far more good things about the boy than bad, which was a first for him, he tended to only see the bad in people, for the most part.

 

“Levi, I didn’t actually believe it before, I figured you were just having a little crush- and yes, even people at our ages can have crushes, they are not limited to teens- but it seems like you are truly in love with Eren. I’ve never heard you talk about someone like that, Levi.”  Normally the man would firmly disagree, in his way the included beating the shit out of the person who would dare say something like that before throwing them out a window but as of right now, Levi was just about at his wits end. Eren occupied his mind constantly, if he wasn’t watching the young man, then he was thinking about him, about his training, if he is cold in the dungeon, if he needs more food, if people were treating him badly because of his shifting abilities. It was Eren, non-stop all day every day and the raven couldn’t take it anymore, and so for once, he decided to do the one thing he swore to never do no matter what the circumstance, to listen and trust Hanji’s advice.

 

“I’m not saying I’m in love with the brat, he’s just always on my damn mind and it’s fucking distracting but, hypothetically, say I was in love with Jaeger- which I’m not- what should I do.” The glint off of Hanji’s glasses and the smirk that grew on the psychopath’s face reminded Levi exactly why he never did anything the nut said.

 

_ But you’ll do anything for Eren. _

 

_ No I won’t. _

 

_ Yes you will, you love him. _

 

_ I do not. _

 

_ How are you even in denial? I am you, I know what your are feeling dumbass! _

 

_...I don’t love him. _

  
_ You’re a fucking idiot. _


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi is bad at talking to people, Eren doesn't like to confront his problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the end. How did you like it? I'me gonna have another part to this series like I said, and the first chapter will be up later today. Sorry if the bold gets kinda confusing, they are speaking in another language there, I just didn't want to break up the flow with translations, or else I would.

 

 

Try as he might, it seemed Levi was incapable of having a proper conversation with Eren after the Incident. Now normally the captain wouldn’t care if someone didn’t want to talk to him considering he wasn’t exactly what one would call a social person, but this was absolutely ridiculous. It wasn’t uncommon for recruits to try to find a way out of any conversations with Levi when he was feeling particularly social, which was only once in a blue moon mind you, but it was a different story entirely when a single subordinate seemed to find a way to disappear at the sign of any potential contact. Eren, in less than twenty four hours, had seemingly erased his presence from Levi’s life completely. Of course the boy had still returned that night and the following morning to check on Levi’s condition, but few words were spoken due to the tense atmosphere.

 

Hanji’s advice had been rather simple, and Levi could find few faults in the supposed foolproof plan-that she refused to provide any further details of aside from the starting point, and the rather large grin that graced the scientists face when Levi asked future goals was more than slightly unnerving- to get the man a lover, granted said male had little experience to reference, but he didn’t want to dwell on that fact for too long. Step one in the multistep program was easy enough, befriend Eren, find out as much as he could about the boy to ensure he truly wanted to pursue a relationship with the younger male, and given the recent shift from formal to informal within their relationship, the task should have been accomplished with ease. However, seeing as the boy avoided any and all unnecessary contact, it was proving rather difficult. Each time the brunette  returned to his superior’s quarters, the raven attempted to strike up a conversation, which in it of itself  was quite the feat for the socially awkward man, and each time instead of the typical bubbly response, the younger male replied dully, his few words dripping with disinterest and unease. 

 

The few times Levi ventured outside his confinement didn’t help the situation either. Each time the man went in search of the boy, Eren seemed adamant in his resolve to avoid his captain, quickly disappearing into hallways, scurrying down flights of stair as though the Colossal itself was after him, even foregoing breakfast with the excuse of chores needing to be finished. But the last and most ridiculous of the brat’s stunts was the damn kid jumping out a fucking window! On the third floor no less! Levi had tried cornering Eren in a dead end, empty corridor, only to have the shifter duck into one of the empty rooms, which Levi found moments later completely devoid of a certain bright eyed cadet and slightly chilled from the open window. After that fiasco Levi slumped dejectedly, or as close to such a thing as he could get given his rather stoic nature, back to his room, swearing to himself he would not let his little brat get away again.

 

******************* Da da da line break!*****************

 

Eren knew he was being a bit overdramatic, but what else was he supposed to do? He had almost kissed his superior and what made it even worse he was still miffed at Hanji for interrupting. He shouldn’t be feeling like this, especially not towards levi, it broke every rule he put into place on his heart the past few years. The titan shifter had hoped Levi would disregard what happened but no, the man seemed more adamant to talk to him than ever. Normally Eren would be ecstatic, he really did enjoy his heichou’s company after all, but that very thing was fueling his main concern in confronting the raven. 

 

The conversation could have numerous outcomes, most of which were highly unlikely,  a couple that Eren’s unhelpful imagination conjured up that left the boy blushing and stammering while he pushed said images to the back of his mind to be used at a later date, and the young male could only come up with three probably ends. Either Levi would beat Eren to an unrecognizable mass of flesh and various fluids, tell the boy off and demand the brunette keep his distance-or worse, kick the shifter out of his squad- or tell the younger man to ignore what could have happened, and that nothing could or would ever be between the two. Eren couldn’t bear any of these, though in all honestly he preferred the first if it meant Levi wouldn’t cast him off, while the second caused immense fear for his fate outside the protection of the Survey Corps, and the third, oh the third just made his heart ache as a darkness crept along inside his chest that left him feeling painfully hollow.

 

The German boy couldn’t stand even the thought of losing Levi altogether. He was the only one to treat him as though he were human, granted the man called him a monster and essentially worthless, but Eren couldn’t really blame Levi for that seeing as the shifter viewed himself the same way. Besides. even if Levi thought of the boy in such a way, he never openly expressed it as the others did. He always treated Eren the same way he did everyone else, and on a rare occasion even better. And truly, he doubted his superior would allow anyone else to see him in his weakened state. Hell, Eren had even held the man as he cried! Perhaps there may be a chance the raven wouldn’t hate him or leave him, after all it seemed like Levi did enjoy having Eren around, though that could just be the fever making his Heichou more ...friendly? Or maybe accepting would be a more appropriate description of his behavior, since Eren honestly wasn’t certain the man knew how to be friendly.

 

The cadet groaned mentally as he realized the time, he had to take Levi his lunch soon. The captain had once again been allowed to eat breakfast with his squad and roam about the castle, though he wasn’t allowed to ‘participate’ in training- it had taken all of Eren’s will power to hold back the snicker at the disappointment that flickered in the man’s eyes- so long as he returned to his room before lunch and rested the remainder of the day. And of course the boy was expected to take the raven’s meal to him, and Eren was dreading his once adored task. 

 

Avoiding conversation was easy enough when he went to check on Levi’s condition the night before and that morning, he had simply switched into full on ‘Doctor-Mode’ that allowed him an aura of complete professionalism and a no-nonsense attitude. His father had used it on the more difficult patients as a way to get them to listen and follow his instructions. Eren of course had to use it for a slightly different reason, but it still had the same effect, an awkwardly silent and eerily compliant patient. 

 

During Levi’s free roam time was another story. The man was everywhere, around every corner, on every narrow flight of stairs, no matter where Eren went, it seemed Levi followed. The boy at one point was so desperate to get away that when when the raven cornered him in an empty hall the brunette had lept out an open window and clung to ledge until he couldn’t scent even a trace of Levi in the entire wing! However, that particular stunt earned him a few odd looks, an elbow to the gut courtesy of Mikasa, and a stern lecture on safety and the rather gruesome possibilities that could stem from falling and gravity in general from Armin.  His heightened senses were helpful to some extent, but seeing as his mind had spent the entirety of the previous night conjuring rather interesting scenarios revolving around his Heichou, it was quite easy for eren to slip off into a daze exhaustion, or something else if he was reminded of certain...image, therefore rendering his abilities rather useless, seeing as he wasn’t capable of registering anything they detected. 

 

“Why can’t my life just be simple for once?” The male groaned to whatever deity would listen before trudging towards the mess hall. 

 

**********************......hi….***************************

 

Armin knew he was intelligent, it wasn’t some quality he created to boost his ego as he knew others did, it was a well known fact that anyone would confirm. As a result of this intelligence, it was often assumed that Armin was not as capable of socializing than he was strategizing and such, but that wasn’t true, or well, it was, just not in the way people thought. Armin was well versed in the art of reading body language and facial expressions, it was actually very easy for him to read the atmosphere within a room, which was necessary in politics, which Armin needed to be capable of handling considering out of his trio of friends, he was the only one able to do so, Mikasa was more prone to violence and Eren, well, no one really ever knew what he would do, you just had to ignore him and leave plenty of room for adjustments. That is the very reason the young blond was struggling to understand his best friend.

 

Armin had been sitting with the rest of the 104th when the brunet sluggishly dragged his form through the doors of the eating area, his drooped shoulders and downcast eyes set off warning bells in the scholar’s mind, and from the looks of the rest of the trainees, they had noticed as well, so it was no surprise when each seemed to remember a task they had forgotten, or in Connie’s case the dire need to use the restroom, the moment Eren dropped his plate onto the table and hoisted himself onto the bench. 

 

“Eren, are you alright?” Said male jerked his head upwards, as if he hadn’t noticed his friend sitting across from him, which was even more alarming considering Eren’s heightened senses. 

 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine!” The titan shifter beamed, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes, but that wasn’t exactly a new development. 

 

“Right, so should I assume when you walked in you were doing your best imitation of a depressed slug?” It was a good thing Armin had become immuned to Eren’s glares long ago, because they seemed to become even more frightening as he grew older. 

 

“Ha-ha, just-I don’t want to talk about it.” And there lies the issue. Eren always told him everything, often times things that Armin had no desire to ever know and unfortunately could never forget, so for him to not want to talk was astounding to say the least. The brunet was always rather emotional, Armin would admit that, so mood swings like this weren’t exactly uncommon, but there was something in those eyes, or rather a lack of something, that worried Armin. That spark, the spark of life, of hope, that Eren seemed to always carry wasn’t there. But the problem was the blond hadn’t the slightest idea as to what could have caused it. There hadn’t been an attack, it wasn’t close to the anniversary of the Titans breaking through the wall, there were no rumors of any fights breaking out between the shifter and another recruit, the only other guess Armin had was something to do with Levi, but Eren had been absolutely gushing about the man just yesterday, what could have changed? 

 

Well, a lot of things obviously, but Eren wasn’t the type to let trivial things bother him, and if it was something so major that it affected Eren in such a way, Mikasa surely would have heard about it, or sensed it since she seems to be able to do that (Armin was still trying to find a logical explanation for that, but there just didn’t seem to be one) , and promptly invited herself into the captain’s rooms to deliver a rather long and painful punishment, though Armin couldn’t recall seeing her much that morning, so that was quite concerning actually.

The strategist mentally shook off the disturbing images his mind conjured before trying to lure his friend into conversation, “Come on Eren, talk to me. Is it something to do with the Levi- Heichou?”

 

_ Bingo. _

 

Eren’s head shot up, his eyes widened comically before glancing away, looking in every direction aside from the one that led to blue eyed boy. That reaction was a bit comforting, that was familiar territory, and Armin knew just how to respond to get the answers he sought. He folded his hands and sat up straight, staring directly at Eren and waiting until the taller male finally met the calculating gaze of his companion. Once he had, the shifter sighed dramatically and slumped even further into his seat, which really should not have been possible, or uncomfortable for that matter, seeing as there were no backs to the seats and Eren nearly had his shoulders resting on the table.

 

“ **Ja** .” Now this was interesting, the green eyed boy rarely spoke the native tongue of his ancestors, only for extremely private conversations or to sing traditional songs his family had somehow managed to hang onto. Not that it was any trouble for Armin, he had been fascinated with other languages when he was young, but since such things were heavily frowned upon, so much so that it seemed to be illegal really, he had never been able to learn, until he met Eren and expressed his interest to the boy, who immediately began teaching his friend every language he had learned, which wasn’t much honestly, but learning three new languages when it was almost forbidden to know even one was incredible, granted he wasn’t exactly fluent in all, and neither was Eren aside from German, but he was decent enough to be able to understand his friend. 

 

“ **Okay, so what happened** ?”

 

“ **I...well, I, we…** ” 

 

“ **Eren** .”

 

“ **I-I almost kissed him! Or, well, he almost kissed me, or something I don’t know** !” Eren had turned such a bright shade of red, Armin was almost certain smoke would pour out his ears at some point, but that observation, as well as the potential uproar it could cause, was lost as he tried to process what his friend had said.

 

“ **You-you almost what** ?” Yes, the brilliant and bright Armin Arlert was struggling to comprehend the situation, but it wasn’t exactly everyday his best friend and brother in all but blood, claims he almost kissed his superior officer, an act that would surely get him kicked out of the protection of the Survey Corps, if not killed. 

 

“ **I know how it sounds, I don’t even know what happened, we were just playing chess and I told him about Trost and suddenly we were really close to each other and then Hanji came in and I kinda, maybe, ran away** .” At least the brunet had the decency to look sheepish at the end of his brief, and seemingly exhausting explanation. 

 

“ **Eren, I honestly have no idea what to say. I mean you know how dangerous this is, right? I mean, if he decides to kick you out over this it could get you killed, you could be handed over to the military police. Or if you two do get into a relationship, since it sounds like he may have been trying to kiss you as well, you both could get in a lot of trouble, hell, they could label him and accomplice and** -” Armin froze. He never passed up an opportunity to lecture his stubborn and often single minded friend, however, he was willing to make an exception this time. 

 

Eren’s face had gone blank, his mouth pressed tight into a firm line, his brows seemed relaxed yet stiff at the same time, not a single muscle twitched, but that wasn’t what stopped Armin, no, it was his eyes. The pools of varying colors had gained more than a spark with this new set of emotions swirling in their depths, there appeared to be a violent explosion raging deep within the irises. The specks of light blue darkened to that of the sky just before a terrible storm, one of endless lightning and the deep rumble of thunder that voiced the upcoming danger. The deep, earthy forest green that mostly dominated was non-existent, and was instead replaced with a sharp, harsh teal of pine needles in deep winter as the leaves died and took on a bluish tint. The colors clashed and warred with each other, and from each collision blasts of pain, of heartache, of anger, of true sorrow erupted towards the surface, and Armin couldn’t help but get lured in by the array of fascinating colors, that were so stunning and yet so very painful, it was as if his entire being was getting devoured by the sorrow laced in every speck of color.

 

“Armin?” Said male shook his head once, twice, and a third time, trying to expel the trance that had come over him, before braving the frontal assault those eyes launched on him once he made contact, and looked at his friend directly, knowing that there was really only one choice for him in this situation, even if he didn’t like it, he would do it for the sake of his brother.

 

“ **Eren, do you love him** ?” 

 

“ **I-I….I think so** .” Eren sighed out the last of the sentence before glancing down and curling more inwards, possible in a futile attempt to guard his heart, despite the fact that the captain had already managed to find his way in.

 

“ **Then, I think you should do something about it** .” The brunet shot his head up to stare at the smaller male.

 

“ **But, weren’t you just saying that it was a terrible idea, that it was basically impossible for anything good to come of this** ?” Armin sighed.

 

“ **Yeah but, you do seem to have a knack for doing the impossible** ,” He gave the still stunned boy a wry grin, “ **You’re just too stubborn. If anyone could make something positive out of this situation, Eren, it would be you. Besides, I think you deserve a little happiness, yeah** ?” 

 

“ **Yeah, maybe** .” The shifter looked unconvinced, but Armin could see the wheels turning, and that was good enough. If losing Levi really caused Eren this much pain, then maybe it would be best if they experienced what they could and faced the consequences together, rather than endure that horrible heartache.

 

“ **Hey, who knows, maybe you might break the boundary between superior officer and soldier. Maybe we can be closer to them eventually** .” The comment was innocent enough, but for some reason Eren looked appalled and sent Armin a scandalized look.

 

“Don’t you dare go getting ideas do you understand me! You are not allowed to have a lover, got it?”

 

“Uh, I thought we were talking about you here?”

 

“My baby brother is growing up!”

 

“Uh, Eren?”

 

“What do I do? He’s too young! They grow up so fast!”

 

“What the hell is happening?” Armin knew he was intelligent, but that meant nothing when it came to Eren Jaeger, he was something else entirely.

 

**********************linelinelinelineline*****************************

Levi was not pouting. He was curled up beneath his blankets, angry at everyone and everything, specifically a bright eyed brat and a semi-psychotic scientist, and muttered to himself in frustration, but he was not pouting. A man such as Levi never pouted, and most certainly not because he was being avoided. Those were concerns for girls and stupid hormonal teenagers, not for grown men who were responsible for the lives of many daily. He didn’t have time to wallow in self pity. 

 

_ That’s it, no more Levi. You’re being pathetic, just ignore the fucking kid, what the hell does Shitty-Glasses know anyway. The fumes that dumbass inhales must have fucked with their head. Alright, from now on just ignore Eren Jaeger, he’s not really that special. _

 

“Levi-Heichou, I brought you lunch, may I come in?” The voice floated softly through the door accompanied by a few small knocks, and with the sound Levi’s heart decided it wanted to learn how to dance.

 

_ Dammit. _

 

“Come in, brat.” Levi was not refusing to look the boy’s way, the lint on the blanket was just extremely fascinating, and rather annoying actually.

 

“Thank you, Levi.” That got the man’s attention. Yes, he was the one to tell Eren to call him by his given name, but seeing how the boy was acting, Levi was certain their relationship had taken at least ten steps back, and it would take nothing less than a miracle to get the brunet comfortable with him again. Apparently that miracle had occurred.

 

“So we’re back to that now? And here I thought you hated me.” Eren glanced up, startled, from where he was preparing a cup of tea on the side table. 

 

“Of course not! Why would you think that?” It took every ounce of self restraint the raven possessed to not beat the hell out of the stupid kid.

 

“I don’t know, maybe the fact that you went so far as to _ jump out a fucking window _ to avoid me?” The shifter’s cheeks became speckled with color as he glanced around sheepishly.

 

“I, uh, didn’t actually jump, I sort of just hung on the outside ledge for a while.” 

 

“That does not help in the slightest.” Levi deadpanned.

“I know.” The younger male replied.

 

“Well, are you  going to keep avoiding me, or can we continue our chess games, because I really want to learn enough to knock Eyebrows off his pedestal. Hah, imagine what the man will do when he see that I beat him in a game of strategy.” The shorter man allowed his lips to twitch upwards at the image, Erwin was always so high and mighty, it would be a lot of fun to knock him down a few pegs.

 

“You are a very sadistic person.” Eren grinned as he handed Levi the cup.

 

“I never said I wasn’t.” This time it was more than a simple quirk of his lips, Levi smiled a, small, but no less genuine smile. 

 

“Obviously,” Greens eyes rolled playfully, while little flecks of gold reflected the sunlight streaming through the windows, “I have other chores to attend to, but perhaps when I bring dinner tonight we can play a game or two? I need to check on you once more, but it seems that if you continue on as you are, tonight I should be able to give you the okay, and you can be up and about tomorrow.” 

 

Levi hummed, too lost in the pleasant warmth of the tea to give a proper response, which prompted a chuckle out of Eren.

 

“Bye Levi.”

 

“Goodbye Eren.” Levi watched the cadet leave the room, a warmth radiating gently within him, one that he hadn’t felt in a long time. 

 

“Well that went well!” The raven most certainly did not jump at the voice, nor did he spill a drop of tea onto the blanket, well, no, maybe he did, the sight of the droplets was too difficult to ignore.

 

“What the hell are you doing here? When and how the fuck did you even get in here?” Hanji cackled and rocked back and forth on the bed. 

 

“I wanted to see how things were going with my Little Titan, so when I saw Eren walk this way I followed. You guys were so focused on each other you got lost in this little world of sappy happiness and didn’t notice me sneaking in or standing in the corner. Aw, Levi, you guys are so cute, and a little gross, but still cute!” The captain grabbed the eccentric individual by the collar and dragged the scientist to the door before throwing Hanji into the hallway. The brunette made to launch at the raven haired man but Levi had slammed the door shut. The barrier rattled violently as it seemed the squad leader rammed face first into the wood.

 

“Come one Levi! Give me details, tell me what’s happening, it was my idea after all!”

 

“Go away.”

 

“Levi!” Hanji whined.

 

“No.”

 

“But Leeeeevi-”

 

“No. Now shut up before someone hears you.” His voice was monotone, but lacked the usual malice it held whenever the crazed brunet annoyed him, he was making progress, and nothing, not even Hanji, was going to ruin his good mood. 

  
  


****************sorry if these are annoying, i think they are fun***************

 

“You’re doing well, Heichou. You’ve made a lot of progress and we’ve only played a few times!” Eren exclaimed happily. 

 

“Hardly,” Levi snorted, “You’re still beating me with ease.”

 

“Well yeah, but at least you’re moving the right pieces to the right spots!” Eren winced internally at the dry look the man sent him.

 

“You make it sound like I’m some little fucking kid.” 

 

“I didn’t mean it like that, I just, well, I just, I’m-I’m just gonna be quiet.” Levi let out a huff of air at that, and Eren grinned, considering he believed that to be a partial laugh, or at least he hoped it was. 

 

“Good luck with that Jaeger, you don’t seem capable of shutting your mouth.” The brunette pouted slightly. 

 

“That’s not nice.”

 

“Who said I was nice?” 

 

This had been going on for some time. When Eren delivered dinner like he promised and checked Levi over one last time, though it was mostly for show since the scent of sickness was almost entirely gone, the two had settled on the bed. Eren set up the chess board while Levi ate, speaking of strategies and tips he discovered when Armin had been teaching the shifter. Once the raven finished eating, the two began to play, at first in a slightly awkward silence that Eren filled with ramblings, until it dissolved into playful banter between the two males. That was hours ago, and seeing as it was well past lights out,Eren thought it about time he head out, though was very reluctant to do so, he was thoroughly enjoying his time with the captain.

 

“I suppose I should be leaving. You’re continuing your duties tomorrow so you should probably get plenty of rest.” The younger male muttered as he began moving towards the door.

 

“Eren, wait.” Levi called out.

 

“Yeah, what is it?” Eren asked, the raven’s fidgeting and determination to not make eye contact only adding to his confusion. 

 

“Come with me.” With that Levi hauled himself up and walked briskly towards the door, snatching Eren’s wrist on the way.

 

“Uh, sir you really should be getting some sleep-”

 

“Shut up.” Well that ended that. The cadet hadn’t the slightest idea as to where they were going but couldn’t exactly find it in himself to complain. Levi’s skin was quite warm, odd since the man was so pale, but Eren knew he was being ridiculous, of course the man was warm, he was human, all humans were warm. But this warmth was slightly different, it seemed to radiate from the point of contact throughout his whole body. 

 

The shorter man had dragged the taller through various corridors, many of which Eren had somehow never been in, strange considering he often cleaned the castle top to bottom, but then again, trainees weren’t allowed anywhere near the rooms of the higher-ups. The brunet stumbled a bit when they had reached a flight of stairs and Levi tugged Eren up them quickly, but he managed to maintain his footing.

 

“Levi, sir, where are we going, and why are we going so fast?”

 

“This is the best time to see it.”

 

“See what?” Levi didn’t respond, at least not with words, and instead stopped to open the single door at the top of the stairs, which Eren noted was just a bit cliche but seeing as it was a castle used for headquarters, he decided not to mention it. 

 

However, all thoughts vanished when Levi opened the door. Eren always appreciated the night sky, it felt like a connection to the outside world, that the sky stretched over everything, not just within the walls as so many other things did, it was comforting in a way, reassuring when he sometimes wondered if there truly were such magnificent things such as the ocean out there. But this, this sight was unlike anything he’d ever seen. There were so many! So many stars and colors, they swirled and danced around one another. Blues and purples wove intricate patterns through groups of twinkling gems, there was even green in some areas. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Having to stay in the basement didn’t allow for him to go out and appreciate the stars here and often he thought of what the sky here must look like, but never did he imagine such a display.

 

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Eren turned to stare at his captain, but the man wasn’t looking at him. Grey eyes were transfixed on the splotches of color above and the brunet turned his own gaze to follow suit.

 

“It is. This is-it’s absolutely incredible.” The younger male breathed out softly, as though if he spoke any louder it would shatter the beauty and serenity of the moment.

 

“Back when I was a trainee, I would sit out here for hours with Farlan and Isabelle. Farlan didn’t appreciate it as much as she and I did, strange since he was in the Underground just as long as we had been, but I guess it just wasn’t as important a goal. He sat out here with us anyway, I think it was mostly for Izzy’s sake, he always seemed to be trying to please her.” Levi spoke gently with a soft, sad smile. 

 

“So you guys dreamt of seeing the sky then?” The older man glanced over, never losing that smile, and nodded.

 

“You never saw the sky in the Underground. That was our goal, what we wanted more than anything, to get out of there and see the sky. I promised Isabelle when I met her that we would get out one day. Eventually we were able to sneak out, but it wasn’t the same. We couldn’t just sit and admire the view, we were always hiding when we came out, afraid we would be captured. So when we were forced to join the Survey Corps, it was bittersweet. We never wanted to join, but we got to see the sky every day and every night, so it was okay.”

 

“Did you find a new dream then? Or did you keep it the same, waiting for the day you could truly enjoy it, without the stress of titans?” Levi hummed thoughtfully at the question.

 

“Both I suppose. We had spent so long trapped in the Underground that we wanted to explore everything. Including the outside world, since we had the chance to do so. But we still wanted there to be a time when we could relax completely under the stars. No fears, no worries, no regrets.”

 

“How close are you to that goal?” Apparently that question caught the man off guard, if the widened eyes were anything to go by. 

 

“I don’t know. For a long time it seemed impossible, especially after Isabelle and Farlan died. I lost track of our dream, just went through the motions of daily life, I didn’t try to live, i just survived. That’s all you can really do, honestly.”

 

“And you closed your heart off to others, to avoid getting hurt again?” Levi looked surprised for a moment before he smiled, this one less sad thankfully, though still small. 

 

“I sometimes forget you’re more perceptive than people think. You’re not wrong though. Losing them was just the beginning though. It hurt so much that I didn’t let many people near, so it took a lot more effort to get past my barriers, but it could be done. And there were a few who accomplished it. Some squad members, a few superiors, and almost every time I let someone close,I lost them. After a while, I gave up altogether. I lost hope that I could have anyone that I care about that I didn’t have to worry that I would lose them the next day. But then, you came along.” Eren, who had been listening intently, felt his eyes go ridiculously wide and his jaw drop.

 

“You’ve somehow managed to get past some of my barriers, I don’t know how you did it, but it seems like you just have a talent for it, since that seems to be the case with everyone you meet. I don’t want to open up to you, I don’t want to show that vulnerability, and not because you’re my subordinate, but because I don’t want to feel that pain again, I can’t take it anymore. But, with your healing abilities, and the fact that you’ve practically told death to fuck off multiple times, it’s possible I don’t have to worry about losing you,at least to titans. I could protect you from humans, that’s not an issue. But I don’t know if I can do this again Eren, I don’t want to hurt anymore.” The younger soldier felt his eyes soften and his lips pull into a gentle smile, even if Levi couldn’t see it as he was staring directly ahead. 

 

“You don’t need to worry about me Levi, I’m not going anywhere. I’m too stubborn, just ask Mikasa and Armin,” Levi huffed his small breathy laugh at that, “You can trust me, you can open up to me, Levi. I know it’ll take some time and quite a bit of convincing, but I know I can prove it to you. I will prove you can rely on me, no matter what.”

 

“Good luck with that, people have tried, and damn near every one failed.” Levi finally turned to look the brunet in the eyes, his face once again lacking any expression, but his eyes had melted to that of molten silver, warm and inviting despite the icy color.

 

“I’m Eren Jaeger, I have a knack for doing the impossible. I’ll show you I can be trusted Levi, and I’ll get you to let me in one day, I know it.” Eren grinned.

 

“We’ll see brat."

**Author's Note:**

> Well, what did you think? Please give me some feedback, I want it know how I'm doing with that characters, you know, actually keeping them IN character and such.


End file.
